HYEEG Discourse in Psychosis: A Neurobehavioural Study

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

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called "HYEEG Discourse in Psychosis," is looking to better understand how communication problems affect social interactions in people with schizophrenia. Researchers want to find out how certain brain activities and behaviors relate to these social difficulties. By measuring brain waves while participants engage in conversations and perform various tasks, the study aims to identify signs of disorganized communication and connect them to the challenges faced in daily life.

To participate in this study, individuals need to be between 18 and 60 years old, speak English or French, and have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder within the last five years. Participants will take part in different activities like social interactions, nonverbal tasks, and interviews about their speech and thoughts. The insights gained from this research could help create better tools for diagnosing schizophrenia and develop strategies to improve social skills and quality of life for those affected by the condition.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. English or French-speaking participants (as dyads matched for language preference).
• • 2. Ages 18-60 years.
• • 3. Patients meeting the operational criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective illness as previously diagnosed by their treating psychiatrist, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5 criteria (Zipursky et al., 2020).
• • 4. Patients with less than 5 years of illness onset, based on the time of starting treatment with antipsychotic medication.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Participants should not have a primary diagnosis of Alcohol or Drug abuse or addiction (however, co-morbid substance abuse with a primary diagnosis of psychotic disorder is not an exclusion criterion).
• • 2. Participants should not have a severe medical disorder that would explain psychotic symptoms.
• • 3. Participants should not have a past or current history of a primary neurological disorder that can affect speech output
• • 4. Participants with IQ below 70 or a concurrent pervasive developmental disorder (e.g., autism) will also be excluded.