NCT00080548

Timing of Voluntary Movement in Patients With Schizophrenia

Completed Last updated 2 July 2017

What this trial tests

trial in Schizophrenia in 42 participants. Completed in 6 January 2009.

Timeline

6 April 2004

6 January 2009

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Status	Completed
Study type	OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment	42
Start date	6 April 2004
Estimated completion	6 January 2009
Sites	1 location across United States

Conditions studied

• Schizophrenia — all drugs for Schizophrenia →

Sponsor

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Who can join

Adults 18 to 65, any sex, with Schizophrenia. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

This study will examine and compare how the brain controls the timing of movement in healthy volunteers and in people with schizophrenia. Previous experiments have shown that when people are asked to look at a clock and report the time they first decide to make a movement, they report times later than the first brain waves associated with movement appear. When they are asked to report the time they first initiate the movement, they report times before the muscles actually begin to move. The study may help determine how the sense of willing and initiating an action is altered in schizophrenic patients, and how people may feel more or less "in control" of their movements.

Normal volunteers and patients with schizophrenia between 18 and 65 years of age may be eligible for this study. Control subjects must not have any neurological or psychological disorders, and schizophrenia patients must not have any other neurological disorders.

All participants will have a medical history, physical examination, and a test to determine their level of attention. Schizophrenia patients will be interviewed about their symptoms and complete psychiatric rating scales. In addition, all participants will undergo the following procedures:

Electric shock

Participants look at a clock on a computer screen whose hands revolves around the clock fast. While they look at the clock, they are given small, non-painful electric shocks and are asked to say when they receive the shocks, according to the clock. The shocks are repeated 40 times.

Arm movement

Participants are asked to lift their arm up off a table repeatedly, at random times, while they look at the computer clock. This exercise is repeated a total of 80 times. Of these 80 times, participants are asked 10 times in a row to say the time they first had the desire to move their arm, and then 10 times in a row the time they first felt that they were moving their arm.

Electroencephalography (EEG) and Electromyography (EMG)

Participants undergo EEG and EMG during the electric shock and arm movement experiments to measure electrical activity of the brain (EEG) and of the muscles (EMG). For EEG, electrodes (small metal discs) are placed on the scalp with a cap, paste, or glue-like substance and the brain waves are recorded. For EMG, electrodes are taped to the skin over the muscle.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial. Completed trials usually publish results within 12-18 months.