Brain zaps may boost memory in schizophrenia patients

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

Inclusion Criteria for patients: * Age 18 or above * All races and ethnicities. * Females and males. * Meet DSM-IV TR criteria for a current diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. * Clinically stable as operationalized by (1) either having not been hospitalized within 3 months or having been hospitalized for 3 months or more prior to assessment, and (2) having had no change in antipsychotic medication dosage within the 4 weeks prior to assessment. * Willingness and ability to speak English * Willingness to provide informed consent * Corrected visual ability that enables reading of newspaper headlines and corrected hearing capacity that is adequate to respond to a raised conversational voice. Exclusion Criteria for patients: * Meets criteria for a cognitive disorder secondary to a neurological or other medical disorder affecting the central nervous system (for example, multiple sclerosis, history of traumatic brain injury, stroke, untreated hypothyroidism). * Mini Mental Status Examination score of 17 and less because a subject with a very low MMSE score is unlikely to be able to compete the NP battery. * Diagnosis of bipolar disorder or current major depressive episode. * Meets diagnostic criteria for current alcohol or other drug dependence within 6 months of testing * Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) within 6 months of testing. * Left handedness. * Incompetency to consent Inclusion Criteria for controls: * Age 18 or above * Willingness and ability to speak English * Willingness to provide informed consent * Corrected visual ability that enables reading of newspaper headlines and corrected hearing capacity that is adequate to respond to a raised conversational voice. Exclusion Criteria for controls: * DSM IV TR psychiatric diagnosis except for simple phobias or an adjustment disorder. * Other neurological disorder affecting central nervous system. * Psychotropic medication except for sedative /hypnotics at a stable dose for at least 4 weeks. * Family history of a primary psychotic disorder in a first-degree relative. * Left handedness.