GPS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Goal Planning in Psychosis (GPS): a brain imaging study to investigate neuro-cognitive mechanisms of planning.
IRAS ID
345144
Contact name
Matthew Nour
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford Research Goverannce, Ethics and Assurance
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Schizophrenia is a serious mental health condition that affects how people think, feel, and understand the world around them. Many people with schizophrenia (PScz) experience psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, and may also have difficulties with thinking and planning, making everyday tasks (e.g., managing work, study, daily routines) more challenging. Current treatments are effective at reducing psychotic symptoms but often do not improve these reasoning and planning problems.
The GPS study aims to better understand how such problems relate to changes in brain function using brain imaging, and to develop behavioural experiments that allow us to measure these problems in clinical settings.
The GPS study builds on recent basic science that has identified a key role for brain regions such as fontal cortex and hippocampus in planning. These regions track where an animal is in the world, and how far it is from goals (“cognitive maps”). These brain regions are also implicated in psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia. Yet, we do not understand how previously reported changes in brain structure and activity relate to cognitive map function and planning. Bridging this knowledge gap is essential to developing new treatments that effectively target cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.
In this study, we will compare 50 individuals with a history of schizophreniform psychosis (PScz) and 50 non-clinical "healthy" control (HC) individuals. Participants will complete a computer-based navigation task while undergoing a non-invasive functional brain scan (functional MRI). They will also complete a follow-up language-based task that tap into the same planning mechanisms.
This study, co-designed with people who have lived experience of psychosis, will help us understand how brain changes in schizophrenia contribute to planning problems. The results will guide the development of new approaches to support cognitive function and improve quality of life for people living with schizophrenia.
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/SC/0107
Date of REC Opinion
5 May 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion