Recruiting

Hallucinations & Delusions

Sponsor:

Washington University School of Medicine

Code:

NCT07853807

Conditions

SCHIZOPHRENIA 1 (Disorder)

Schizoaffective Disorder

Healthy Adult Participants

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 59

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Motion Perception Task

Sine Wave Speech Task

Volatility Task

Choice Probabilistic Reversal Task

Kamin Blocking Task

Study Details

Brief summary:

In Study 1, investigators will test the ability of each of the seven paradigms to differentiate between schizophrenia (SZ)/schizoaffective disorder (SZA) and matched healthy control subjects (HC) and to predict individual differences in clinical measures of hallucinations and delusions (as well as measures of function). Investigators will also directly compare the tasks in terms of predictive ability and psychometric properties and determine whether the tasks share variance or explain unique variance. This will include determining whether hallucinations and delusions are best explained by separate underlying processes or by a single process. Investigators will also test whether the model-based parameters from these studies are more precise and sensitive than standard behavioral methods for assessing deficits across psychotic disorders and for predicting hallucinations and delusions (Aim 1). Investigators will also validate key model-based parameters against well-characterized neurophysiological measures using electroencephalogram (EEG) (Aim 4). The data from Study 1 will also be used to optimize (e.g., length, floor, and ceiling effects) tasks for Study 2. To generate a sample with sufficient variation in hallucinations and delusions, investigators will recruit the following groups that balance feasibility with clinical relevance: A) healthy controls (HC) \[HC, N=125\]; B) schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder \[SZ/SZA, N=200\]). For Study 1, investigators will ensure that 40 patients are unmedicated. Investigators anticipate a \~20% screen fail/drop-out rate based on our prior Cognitive Neuroscience Test Reliability and Clinical Applications for Schizophrenia Consortium (CNTRACS) studies. Thus, investigators will run an additional 40 SZ/SZA and 15 HC. All sites have experience recruiting patients in each of these groups as indicated by our past successful studies, and the fact that investigators have been able to recruit patients with significant hallucinations and delusions in all groups. Investigators will also validate key model-based parameters against well-characterized neurophysiological measures using electroencephalogram (EEG) (Aim 4). The data from Study 1 will also be used to optimize (e.g., length, floor, and ceiling effects) tasks for Study 2. To generate a sample with sufficient variation in hallucinations and delusions, investigators will recruit the following groups that balance feasibility with clinical relevance: A) healthy controls (HC) \[HC, N=125\]; B) schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder \[SZ/SZA, N=200\]). For Study 1, investigators will ensure that 40 patients are unmedicated. Investigators anticipate a \~20% screen fail/drop-out rate based on our prior Cognitive Neuroscience Test Reliability and Clinical Applications for Schizophrenia Consortium (CNTRACS) studies. Thus, investigators will run an additional 40 SZ/SZA and 15 HC. All sites have experience recruiting patients in each of these groups as indicated by our past successful studies, and the fact that investigators have been able to recruit patients with significant hallucinations and delusions in all groups.

Conditions

SCHIZOPHRENIA 1 (Disorder)

Schizoaffective Disorder

Healthy Adult Participants

Study ID

NCT07853807

Start date

Oct 1, 2026

Status verified date

Sep, 2026

Completion date

Jun 30, 2031

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jun 30, 2031

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 59

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

General Inclusion

1. age 18 to 59
2. no substance disorder in past six months (confirmed with urine drug screens and breathalyzers);
3. no clinically significant head injury or neurological disease. 4. Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR) score =16+.

Group Specific Criteria: Schizophrenia/Schizoaffective Disorder (SZ):

1. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective;
2. no medication changes in prior month or anticipated in the next month or not taking medications
3. outpatient or partial hospital if unmedicated

Healthy Controls (HC):

1. no Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) Psychosis or Bipolar Disorder;
2. no family history of psychosis or bipolar

Exclusion Criteria:

Healthy Controls (HC):

1. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) Psychosis or Bipolar Disorder diagnosis
2. Family history of psychosis or bipolar

Schizophrenia/Schizoaffective Disorder (SZ/SZA): additional exclusion criteria for the unmedicated individuals are:

1. not in acute exacerbation requiring immediate hospitalization or treatment
2. self-reported medication non-compliance for at least the four previous weeks 3)never having started medications

Study Design

Enrollment

325 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Interventions

Motion Perception Task

Assesses updating of beliefs from new sensory inputs with prior knowledge via perceiving direction changes in random dot motion stimuli

Sine Wave Speech Task

Measures the degree to which overweighting of prior beliefs impacts processing of sensory inputs (detection of speech).

Volatility Task

Measures the updating of priors about the location of a bag drop from a helicopter when the location changes (prediction errors).

Choice Probabilistic Reversal Task

Assesses prior belief updating when feedback about obtaining positive outcomes changes (prediction errors).

Kamin Blocking Task

Examines the role of mismatches between learned priors and new information (prediction errors) in belief formation about event causes.

Minnesota Trust Game

Assesses the degree to which people distinguish between their priors about others' motivations, such as selfishness and spite, and impersonal chance in one-shot trust game and dictator games.

Dynamic Trust Game

Assesses degree to which people learn and update priors about trusting partners from dynamic social feedback (prediction error) in a social exchange game.

Primary outcome measure

  • Motion Perception Task Performance [ Time Frame: 1 hour ]
  • Sine Wave Speech Task Performance [ Time Frame: 1 hour ]
  • Volatility Task Performance [ Time Frame: 1 hour ]
  • Choice Probabilistic Reversal Performance Task [ Time Frame: 1 hour ]
  • Kamin Blocking Task Performance [ Time Frame: 1 hour ]
  • Minnesota Trust Game Performance [ Time Frame: 1 hour ]
  • Dynamic Trust Game Performance [ Time Frame: 1 hour ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Clinical Coordinator

314-747-2160ingram@wustl.edu

Locations

University of California, Irvine

Recruiting

Irvine, California, United States, 92868

Contacts

The University of Chicago

Recruiting

Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60637

Contacts

University of Maryland, Baltimore

Recruiting

Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21201

Contacts

University of Minnesota

Recruiting

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455

Contacts

Angus Macdonald III, Ph.D.

612-624-3813angus@umn.edu

Alyssa Zimmerman, BA

651-558-1275zimme857@umn.edu

Washington University

Recruiting

St Louis, Missouri, United States, 63108

Contacts

More Information

Sponsor

Washington University School of Medicine

Last update posted

Oct 2, 2026

Last verified

Sep, 2026

Keywords

  • schizophrenia
  • schizoaffective disorder
  • healthy controls

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-10-03. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Washington University School of Medicine on 2026-10-02. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.