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Biomarkers/Biotypes, Course of Early Psychosis and Specialty Services

Sponsored by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

About this study

The Biomarkers/Biotypes, Course of Early Psychosis and Specialty Services (BICEPS) study aims to understand the early stages of psychotic disorders like Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, and Bipolar I Disorder. It involves gathering mental health information, brain scans (MRI), eye movement patterns (Eye-Tracking), and brain electrical waves (EEG) data from individuals who have experienced these disorders in recent years. Participants will be involved for about a year, with four visits over this period. Screening procedures, lasting approximately 3 hours, include tests for drug use, a pregnancy test for eligible women, clinical interviews about feelings and experiences, psychiatric and family history interviews, and a medical history review. Research procedures for eligible participants include DNA collection, a neuropsychological test battery, EEG, eye-tracking, and MRI. These procedures will help researchers understand brain function, genetics, and cognitive abilities related to psychotic disorders. Follow-up visits at 1-month, 6-month, and 12-month intervals involve modified clinical interviews and repeating neuropsychological tests to track changes over time. Participants may opt to provide DNA samples for genetic analysis, undergo various cognitive tests, EEG to record brain waves, eye-tracking to monitor eye movements, and MRI scans to visualize brain structure. Follow-up visits at regular intervals will help researchers track changes in symptoms and cognitive function. This study provides comprehensive insight into the onset and progression of psychotic disorders and offers valuable information for patients, families, and healthcare providers involved in managing these conditions. Our goal is to better understand whether a combination of biological markers and different types of people (BT1, BT2, BT3) can help us predict how well individuals with early psychosis respond to specialized care. We expect that those in BT3 will have the best outcomes, BT2 will have intermediate outcomes, and BT1 will have the poorest outcomes. Even though BT1 and BT2 might start with similar cognitive issues, their biology might lead to different responses to treatment. This research can help us understand which treatments work best for different people with early psychosis.

This proposal seeks to characterize the early course of psychotic disorders and to identify clinical and biological predictors of outcome. The large sample (=320) required will necessitate a multi-site study. All B-SNIP sites have coordinated specialty services for early course psychosis and have harmonized study procedures for uniform data collection. Each site will recruit 1/5 of the participants; The project will be managed by an all-site steering committee meeting weekly. Boston will be the coordinating site. The outcome of early course psychosis (EP) is heterogeneous, ranging from early full recovery to treatment resistance and functional decline from the onset of illness. The ability to predict individual level outcomes would be highly valuable for treatment planning and for tailori…

Where this study is enrolling (6)

Show all 6 locations

  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

    Dallas, Texas

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Who can participate

Inclusion criteria

  • ✓Males and females, all races and ethnicities
  • ✓18-40 y/o
  • ✓Meet DSM-5 criteria for a psychotic disorder, i.e. schizophrenia, schizophreniform, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar I disorder or major depression with psychotic features, delusional disorder or psychosis N.O.S.
  • ✓Able to read, speak, and understand English
  • ✓Able and willing to provide written informed consent, and willing to commit to the study protocol
  • ✓Illness duration from psychosis onset less than or equal to 4 years
  • ✓At baseline only: receiving both psychopharmacology and psychotherapy

Exclusion criteria

  • ✕Estimated premorbid intellectual ability \<70 (WRAT-4, Word Reading subtest, age-corrected standardized score)
  • ✕Neurological or medical disorder that may affect brain function (seizure disorder, traumatic brain injury with a loss of consciousness greater than or equal to 30 min, history of stroke, AIDS, etc.)
  • ✕Psychoses secondary to substance use i.e., Comorbid DSM-5 diagnosis of alcohol or substance use disorders that may explain the diagnosis of psychotic disorders (individuals with cannabis use disorders unrelated to psychosis onset will be allowed. Participants encouraged to abstain from substances for 24 hours prior to lab visits)
  • ✕MRI-Specific Exclusion Criteria:
  • ✕Pregnant women
  • ✕Presence of ferromagnetic objects in body
  • ✕Weight or body size exceeding scanner capacity (\>300 lbs)
  • ✕Claustrophobia

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Completing a questionnaire on Clinably does not enroll you in a clinical trial or confirm your eligibility. Only the research team can determine whether you qualify to participate. These results are based on the information you provide and are intended to help you start a conversation with the research team.

Trial data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov.