HYEEG Discourse in Psychosis: A Neurobehavioural Study

What this study is about

This multimodal study explores the mechanisms underlying social dysfunction in individuals with schizophrenia. It focuses on the relationship between disorganized communication and social interaction, aiming to identify measurable markers of disorganized communication and link them to clinical symptoms and social functioning. Key Research Questions: How do neural and behavioural synchrony contribute to social impairments in schizophrenia? What roles do interbrain synchrony, motor imitation, reaction time, and verbal coherence play in disorganized communication? Participants will: 1. Engage in structured and semi-structured real-time social interactions while undergoing dual-brain electroencephalogram (EEG) hyperscanning to measure neural and behavioural activity. 2. Perform nonverbal tasks such as motor imitation and reaction time assessments to investigate coordination and behavioural synchrony patterns. 3. Participate in a clinical interview that evaluates verbal production, thought coherence, and speech organization. By combining these assessments, the study aims to advance our understanding of how social and communication impairments manifest in schizophrenia. The findings will contribute to developing improved diagnostic tools and targeted interventions, ultimately supporting patients in achieving better social functioning and quality of life.

Who can join (things the study team will check)

✅ You may be able to join if…

• English or French-speaking participants (as dyads matched for language preference).
• Ages 18-60 years.
• Patients meeting the operational criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective illness as previously diagnosed by their treating psychiatrist, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5 criteria (Zipursky et al., 2020).
• Patients with less than 5 years of illness onset, based on the time of starting treatment with antipsychotic medication.

🚫 You may not be able to join if…

• Participants should not have a primary diagnosis of Alcohol or Drug abuse or addiction (however, co-morbid substance abuse with a primary diagnosis of psychotic disorder is not an exclusion criterion).
• Participants should not have a severe medical disorder that would explain psychotic symptoms.
• Participants should not have a past or current history of a primary neurological disorder that can affect speech output
• Participants with IQ below 70 or a concurrent pervasive developmental disorder (e.g., autism) will also be excluded.

Where this trial is running

• Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Who to contact

Emmanuel Olarewaju, PhD Candidate · 5147616131 · emmanuel.olarewaju@mail.mcgill.ca

It's completely normal to call and ask questions before deciding anything. Mention the study ID: NCT06978803.