Indicated Prevention of Psychotic Disorders With Low-dose Lithium
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2006-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
This study investigates the neuroprotective properties of low-dose lithium in young
individuals at ultra-high risk of developping a first psychotic episode. Fourty individuals
having some symptoms of an emerging psychotic disorders (without meeting the threshold for a
full-blown mental illness) will be treated with a low dose of lithium (about a third of the
dose that is usually used to treat acute mania). We will assess the progression of the
conditions of these individuals on a montly bases for a year. We will do behavioural,
cognitive and imaging assessments prior start of the treatment, after three months and one
year. We hope to demonstrate that low dose lithium will stop or even reverse the progression
of disease. We expect that behavioral, cognitive and in vivo brain imaging parameters in
those individuals treated with low dose lithium improve, compared to the monitoring group.