Natural compound berberine takes on Schizophrenia's hidden symptoms

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

Inclusion Criteria: * Subjects met the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). The diagnosis was confirmed by two psychiatrists who interviewed enrolled patients using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders, Clinician Version (SCID-5-CV). * Age between 18 and 60 years, inclusive. * Gender: Not restricted. * Ethnicity: Han Chinese. * Subjects were receiving a stable dose of antipsychotic medication for at least 3 months prior to enrollment and had no dose adjustments in the month preceding enrollment. * Subjects exhibited significant negative symptoms, defined as: A total score of ≤ 70 on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Scores of ≤ 4 on the PANSS items for delusions, conceptual disorganization, hallucinations, and excitement. A score \> 0 on the Negative Symptom Subscale-Positive Symptom Subscale. * The patient or their legal representative provided informed consent and signed the informed consent form agreeing to participate in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals meeting DSM-5 criteria for other psychiatric disorders. * Current severe neurological disease, uncontrolled metabolic disease, infectious disease, or autoimmune disease. * History of gastrointestinal surgery. * Use of antibiotics, other immunomodulatory agents, hormones, microecological agents, or probiotic medications within the past 1 month. * Allergy to BBR (if "BBR" is a known abbreviation, otherwise it should be spelled out or defined). * Receipt of physical therapies such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) within the past 1 month. * Individuals with hemolytic anemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. * Pregnant or lactating females. * Any factor that would prevent the participant from providing informed consent or participating in the study.