The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc.

The development of new treatments for psychosis, a psychiatric condition that is prevalent and highly disabling despite antipsychotic medications, has been limited, in part, by a lack of information from brain imaging studies during the period that leads to the development of psychotic symptoms. In this project the investigators will use Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (NM-MRI) to examine a brain chemical that is involved in schizophrenia called dopamine and where it first becomes abnormal. The investigators will use multimodal PET/MR imaging (i.e., [11C]raclopride w/MPH challenge and NM-MRI) in the same CHR patients. The investigators will recruit 115 clinical high risk individuals. All subjects will undergo [11C]raclopride w/methylphenidate challenge and neuromelanin-MRI imaging along with clinical assessments. Patients will be followed every 3 months for two years or until conversion to psychosis, whichever comes first, to assess for conversion to psychosis and clinical outcomes.

This Phase 2 study examines the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of pimavanserin in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Male or female participants aged 16 to 40 years of age will be randomized to receive single doses of either placebo or pimavanserin in this randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over designed study, followed by open label extension.

There is substantial data to suggest that the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model, a the investigatorsll-known, evidence-based practice, can help people with mental illness (PSMI) succeed in competitive employment (i.e., on average 55%, but over 60% in credible studies). Hothe investigatorsver, not a single country in Latin America offers IPS services. In addition, services to support employment and education tend to be ad hoc, low-intensity, and not the investigatorsll evaluated because most clinicians are not trained in evidence-based practices.
Clinicians are not trained in evidence-based approaches and do not provide high-fidelity services. The overall goal of this project is to pilot the IPS for PSMI in the Center for Comprehensive Care in Long-Stay Mental Health (CAISAME-EB, in Spanish), the largest mental health clinic in Jalisco, Mexico. CAISAME-EB integrates primary care and provides medication and psychosocial rehabilitation services to a large population of PSMI (n=
5,000). This team serves marginalized communities similar to other urban areas in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Latin America and elsewhere.
The investigators will use the Dynamic Adaptation Process model to first inform the adaptation of IPS in Mexico, using our previous experience adapting IPS and deep understanding of the local context (e.g., the nature of the labor market in Mexico) to inform the adaptations. The investigators will then evaluate the implementation and impact of the adapted IPS in a pilot RCT (N = 120).
This pilot RCT will Include quantitative and qualitative assessments at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months with clients, providers, and other key stakeholders. The investigators aim to refine implementation processes, understand outcomes and tools, and estimate pothe investigatorsr for a future regional trial in Latin America.