DIALOG: Understanding Disorganisation: A Language-focused Global Initiative in Psychosis

Launched by DOUGLAS MENTAL HEALTH UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE · May 11, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The DIALOG trial is a study that aims to understand how disorganized speech and communication affect people with serious mental illnesses like psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. Disorganized communication can make it hard for individuals to interact with others and can impact their social and work opportunities. This study will focus on how the brain processes language and makes predictions during conversations, using advanced tools like MRI and MEG to observe brain activity. By analyzing speech patterns and brain waves, researchers hope to uncover the reasons behind these communication challenges and find new treatment options.

To participate, individuals aged 18 to 65 who speak English or French and have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder may be eligible. The study also seeks healthy individuals to compare with those who have these conditions. Participants can expect to complete speech tasks that will be recorded for analysis and undergo brain scans to help researchers better understand the brain's role in communication. Overall, the DIALOG trial represents an exciting effort to improve our understanding of mental health and communication through innovative research.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • - English or French speaking participants, male or female; age 18-65 years. Patients who have been previously diagnosed by their treating physician based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 Edition (DSM 5) criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Ethnically and socioeconomically diverse individuals from urban catchments. Women are under-represented in psychosis studies but across sexes disorganisation is equally severe. We aim for \>40% women in our samples via broader inclusion criteria not limited to schizophrenia.
• • Healthy Controls group-matched with the patients for age (within 2 years), and sex matched to patient sample; and have no personal or first-degree family history of Severe Mental Disorders (SMD).
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Pregnancy; substance-induced psychosis with no SMD; neurological speech or auditory impairment, contraindication for MRI; Not able to give informed consent (if this is in doubt at the time of referral, we will formally test it). Not be able to speak French or English for clinical interactions; participants who are not proficient will be excluded.