Mind over voices: brain training may quiet hallucinations

NCT ID NCT07779226

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

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Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 21, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026

Summary

This trial tests whether a brain-training method called decoded neurofeedback, done during MRI scans, can help people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder reduce persistent auditory hallucinations—like hearing voices. Participants are randomly assigned to either the active training or a control version. The study measures how well the brain aligns with a desired pattern and uses a standard scale to track changes in hallucinations.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Decoded neurofeedback, a brain-training technique delivered during MRI scans that aims to help people reduce auditory hallucinations
What this could lead to
If effective, this could offer a new, non-drug way to help people with schizophrenia gain more control over persistent auditory hallucinations.
What could go wrong
This is an early-phase trial with a modest number of participants, so results may not be conclusive or widely applicable. The training requires MRI scans and may not work for everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 1/2

Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.

Participants

About 51 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Mar 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 55 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals aged 18 to 55, inclusive at screen * Capable of understanding the study procedures and willing and able to provide informed consent * Diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder * Taking an antipsychotic medication at a stable dose for at least 4 weeks. All oral and depot antipsychotics are allowable. * Mean Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale (AHRS) score \>2 (moderate) and AHRS Frequency ≥ 4 (hourly AVH: Frequent at least 3 to 6 per hour). * Meeting the decoder performance criterion, operationalized as ≥ 55% decoding accuracy. Baseline MRI may be repeated once for subthreshold decoder-accuracy at the discretion of the PIs. * Normal hearing, operationalized as normal conversational hearing. * Willing to use qualified methods of contraception (listed in section 5.3) for the study duration (for persons of childbearing potential only, unless post-menopausal or surgically sterile). Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of moderate or severe substance use disorder (excluding nicotine) within the previous 90 days * Positive toxicology screen for any substances of abuse * Participation in study of investigational medication/device within the past 4 weeks * Pregnant persons. Persons of child-bearing potential must have a negative urine β-hCG pregnancy test at Visit 1 and Visit 1a (if applicable) * Any clinically significant or unstable medical illness, condition, or disorder that is anticipated to potentially compromise participant safety during study, including history of seizure, epilepsy in self or first degree relatives, stroke, brain surgery, head injury with loss of consciousness \> 1 hour or clear cognitive sequelae, intracranial metal implants, known structural brain lesions. * Contraindication to MRI scanning, including metal implants or clinically meaningful claustrophobia * Participants with suicidal ideation with intent or plan (indicated by affirmative answers to items 4 or 5 of the Suicidal Ideation section of the baseline C-SSRS) in the 3 months prior to screening or participants who represent a significant risk of suicide or violence in the opinion of the investigator. * History of significant violent behavior in the past 3 months, posing a risk of homicide or having symptoms that would be exacerbated by study participation or travel to the site in the opinion of the investigator.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Columbia University

    New York, New York, 10027, United States

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