RESTORE
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The role of glutamatergic function in the pathophysiology of treatment of treatment-resistant schizophrenia
IRAS ID
299382
Contact name
Oliver Howes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 7 months, 16 days
Research summary
Schizophrenia is a common, severe and disabling psychiatric illness affecting approximately 1% of people. It is amongst the top ten causes of disability in adults in the world. Many patients do not respond to standard (non-clozapine) antipsychotic medications and this is termed treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Studies suggest that TRS is present in approximately 30% of patients but rates can be even higher. Currently, clozapine is the only drug licensed to treat TRS, but its use is significantly limited by its side effects in up to ~50% of patients, and the majority of TRS patients are either unable or unwilling to start clozapine. Several lines of evidence indicate that patients with TRS may have higher levels of the brain chemical glutamate. However, the exact nature of glutamate dysfunction in patients with TRS remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the levels of glutamate in patients with TRS by measuring levels of glutamate in the brain and other brain markers associated with this chemical (e.g brain blood flow, structure, and function) and to compare these measures with healthy controls and patients whose symptoms respond to medication (treatment responders) to determine if there is a difference between the different groups. We plan to do this using brain scans or more specifically Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI). In addition, we will examine if Rilozule, a medication known to reduce glutamate levels, is able to reduce glutamate levels in patients with TRS and if changes in glutamate are associated with changes in the symptoms the patients experience. We will recruit people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and healthy participants from the local community. This study will take place at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience King’s College London over a 5 year period.
REC name
South East Scotland REC 02
REC reference
22/SS/0040
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jul 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion