Brain training and exercise from home: a new hope for early schizophrenia?
NCT ID NCT05890183
First seen Aug 04, 2026 · Last updated Aug 05, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether combining aerobic exercise with computerized cognitive training, both delivered via telehealth, can improve thinking and motivation in people who have recently experienced a first episode of schizophrenia. About 100 participants will receive cognitive training, and half will also be assigned to an exercise program, while the other half joins a healthy living group. The trial measures changes in cognitive performance, blood levels of a protein linked to brain plasticity, and engagement in the program, aiming to see if this approach is feasible and effective outside a research clinic.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Aerobic exercise and strength training combined with computerized cognitive training, delivered via telehealth
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this approach could offer a practical, home-based way to improve thinking and daily functioning for people early in schizophrenia, potentially reducing long-term disability.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with a modest number of participants, so results may not apply broadly. The benefits of exercise on cognition are not guaranteed, and adherence to the program may be challenging.
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
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2023
- Expected to finish
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May 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 45 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: 1. a first episode of a psychotic illness that began within the past three years; 2. a diagnosis by DSM-5 of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophreniform disorder; 3. age 18 to 45 years of age; 4. sufficient acculturation and fluency in the English language to avoid invalidating research measures; and 5. residence likely to be within commuting distance of the UCLA Aftercare Research Program. Exclusion Criteria: 1. premorbid IQ less than 70; 2. evidence of a known neurological disorder (e.g., epilepsy) or significant head injury; 3. evidence of moderate or severe substance use disorder within the six months prior to the first episode or evidence of a substance-induced psychosis.
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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UCLA Aftercare Research Program
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90095-6968, United States
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