Psychosis Group-Based Education and Training Study:
We are investigating methods for bringing strength and organization back to the brain networks affected in psychosis through group-based education and training. Group-based education and training programs have been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms associated with psychosis and improving daily functioning.
Group-based education and training sessions target different types of thinking skills that are affected in people experiencing psychosis. If you have a diagnosis involving psychosis (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or schizophreniform disorder), are between 19 – 55 years of age, fluent in English and interested in taking part in this study to receive free education and training sessions, we invite you to participate!
If you agree to take part in this study, group sessions will be held twice a week over eight weeks, for a maximum of 16 sessions. Sessions begin when space becomes available in the groups. In addition, we will ask you to attend three research sessions, some involving travel to functional brain imaging sites, where magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) will be used to visualise changes in brain activity. The group education and training sessions will be provided free-of-charge. You will be financially compensated for your time and transportation costs when you take part in the brain imaging and research sessions. The results of the experiment will be kept confidential and you may withdraw from the study at any time without consequences to you. Ethics approval has been obtained through the UBC Clinical Research Ethics Board.
For further information and to discuss your eligibility for this study please contact Sarah Flann at cnos.lab@ubc.ca or 604-347-6467.
Memory and Attention Study:
In order to better understand the cognitive (e.g., memory and attention) difficulties sometimes experienced by individuals with psychosis, this study will include participants with and without symptoms of psychosis to partake in a memory task while undergoing an fMRI scan (fMRI is a method of looking at brain activity during simple tasks. MRI is similar to an X-ray but uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce a picture of the brain. fMRI methodology does not expose participants to X-ray or radiation).
If you are between the ages of 19 and 60, fluent in English, with a history of psychosis OR without a history of mental illness and are interested in contributing to brain research using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to scan your brain, we invite you to participate in our study!
This study will include two seperate sessions. The research session will take approximately 1-2 hours and will include a medical history and symptom assessment (including psychiatric history and clinical interviews). The research session will also include memory, language, and cognition tasks. The fMRI session will take approximately 1.5-2 hours and will include a computerized task involving memory and attention while an fMRI scan is being conducted.
Information resulting from this research study will be kept confidential and secure. An honorarium will be provided and a flat rate will be reimbursed for travel expenses. An picture of your brain will also be provided to participants who complete the fMRI portion of the study.
For further information and to discuss your eligibility for this study please contact Sarah Flann at cnos.lab@ubc.ca or 604-347-6467.