Tuesday, January 15, 2008

New study seeks to learn more about cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia

By Pegasus News wire

Making a list so you can go shopping. Reading a book for relaxation or enjoyment. Setting your alarm so you can get to work on time. Remembering a conversation with friends. These are routine tasks that most people perform almost every day.

Routine tasks – unless you suffer from schizophrenia, which affects more than 2 million people in the United States alone. For those afflicted with schizophrenia, the inability to perform such tasks is called Cognitive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia, or CDS. And while there are approved medications to control common symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucinations and delusions, these medications aren’t specifically approved to treat CDS. In fact, as of December 2007, there are no medications approved by the FDA to treat CDS and its symptoms.

A new nationwide clinical research study seeks to learn about the safety and effectiveness of an investigational drug on thinking, learning and memory problems in adults with schizophrenia. The study also seeks to learn whether adding this investigational drug to an individual’s other medications can improve CDS. Potential study participants must be diagnosed with schizophrenia, must already be taking a stable dose of one of three specific antipsychotic medications and must be active smokers. Additional criteria may also apply.

Cigarette smoking is common among people with schizophrenia, and may affect the way the brain functions. To ensure that any differences measured are not related to tobacco use, only smokers will be allowed to participate in the study.

Study participants will continue working with their treatment team, who currently help the individual cope with their illness, including doctors, social workers, case workers, therapists, counselors and/or caregivers. Participants will receive a study-related medical and psychiatric evaluation by a study physician. The research team will monitor each participant throughout the study, with study-related visits and procedures provided at no cost.

This investigational study is now underway throughout the United States, including the Dallas area. To learn more about this research study of Cognitive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia and to see if you may qualify, please contact us at 1.877.227.0890 or visit our web site at www.halostudy.com.

Source: Axiom Accelerated Clinical Patient Recruitment

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