SchizophreniaNCT07557381
The Effect of Game-Based Intervention on the Cognition of Schizophrenia Patients
A study testing Somatic Serious Games in people with Schizophrenia, run by Shanghai Mental Health Center at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
Schizophrenia is a common and severe mental disorder that imposes a significant burden on patients. Cognitive impairment can be regarded as one of the core symptoms of schizophrenia, which is prevalent among patients with schizophrenia. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 45 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Schizophrenia
- What is being tested?
- Somatic Serious Games
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 84 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 19 Apr 2026to Jul 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 45 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Registered in the Shanghai Mental Health Information Management System and hospitalized in the designated district-level mental health center wards;
- Schizophrenia patients meeting the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10);
- 18 - 45 years old;
- Good self-care ability;
- Clinically stable (without acute exacerbation) for at least 1 week before enrollment, with a stable dose of antipsychotic drugs or other concomitant psychotropic drugs for at least 1 week;
- No hand disabilities, and can use mobile phones or tablets normally;
Show all 10Show fewer
- Have a primary school education or above;
- Normal vision and hearing, or within the normal range after correction;
- Own and be able to independently use a smart phone or other electronic devices;
- Patients and their families have given informed consent to this study, and voluntarily cooperate to participate in the intervention and sign the informed consent form.
Who cannot join
- not reside in Shanghai after discharge;
- suffering from serious physical or brain organic diseases;
- comorbid with other psychotic disorders.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
China1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Shanghai Mental Health Center
Shanghai
Jun Cai
About this study
Official title: The Effect of a 2-month Somatic Serious Games on the Cognition of Schizophrenia Patients
Schizophrenia is a common and severe mental disorder that imposes a significant burden on patients. Cognitive impairment can be regarded as one of the core symptoms of schizophrenia, which is prevalent among patients with schizophrenia. In recent years, digital rehabilitation therapy based on games has shown a remarkable development trend among schizophrenia patients. Serious games, or application games, refer to those games aimed not only for entertainment. They can educate, train, or change the behavior of players through interesting intervention forms and have been applied in many healthcare fields. This study aims to develop a somatosensory interactive game for patients with cognitive impairment of schizophrenia to improve their cognitive functions and verify its effectiveness and feasibility through a randomized controlled trial.
Read the detailed description
Traditional cognitive rehabilitation methods, such as computerized cognitive remediation therapy (CCRT), require a significant amount of time and manpower, and are costly. Patients cannot achieve the best improvement within a short period of time; moreover, they cannot replicate real-life scenarios, and lack real interaction and immersion, which limits the application of training results in daily life. Patients with schizophrenia may have difficulty adhering to treatment due to their sense of stigma and the time and energy costs required for treatment, resulting in poor treatment compliance and significant impact on treatment outcomes. Sensory interactive games are based on multitasking and require the brain to simultaneously integrate low-level and high-level cognitive resources, which have a very good effect on overall cognitive function. This study first determined the cognitive dimensions that needed intervention by reviewing literature, collecting data, and discussing with experts in related fields. The game content was designed referring to relevant cognitive psychology paradigms, existing research foundations, and actual community scenarios. The game was developed using the gyroscope of mobile devices for sensory interactive serious games. Through the design of a randomized controlled trial and the use of standardized measurement tools, the changes in patients' cognitive functions before and after the intervention were quantitatively evaluated from a scientific perspective, providing a scientific basis for the implementation of such intervention measures; at the same time, the quality of life, social function, and motor ability, which are more relevant to actual rehabilitation performance, were evaluated to assess their significance in the entire rehabilitation process.
- Conditions
- Schizophrenia
- Being tested
- Somatic Serious Games
- Keywords
- Cognition, Schizophrenia, Game-Based Intervention
- Medical subject headings
- Schizophrenia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Somatic Serious GamesOther
A serious game for 5 cognitive functions, including 10 games, uses somatosensory technology to achieve interaction, and provides cognitive training close to life scenes for patients with schizophrenia.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention group (Gamified Digital Rehabilitation) | Experimental | The group member (n = 42) will receive approximately 30 minutes of digital rehabilitation training at least three times a week for 8 weeks, with professional supervision and guidance as they use the games. Cognitive function and quality of life were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Receives: Other: Somatic Serious Games |
| Controlled group (Routine Rehabilitation Group) | No intervention | Participants in this arm (n = 42) will receive routine inpatient psychiatric rehabilitation and care during the same period. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
MCCB
Using MATRIC Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) to measure the cognition. The MCCB includes 9 standardized tests covering domains such as processing speed, attention, and working memory. The raw scores are converted into standardized T-scores based on normative data. Higher T-scores indicate better cognitive performance.
Measured: Baseline, immediately post-intervention , 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up
Secondary outcomes (5)
BPRS
Using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) to measure the presence and severity of psychiatric symptoms entailing positive symptoms, general psychopathology, and affective symptoms. Each item is rated on a 7-point scale (1 = not present, 7 = extremely severe). The total score ranges from 18 to 126, with higher scores indicating more severe psychiatric symptoms.
Measured: Baseline, immediately post-intervention , 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up
WHOQOL-BREF
Using WHO Quality of Life - BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) to measure four domains: physical health, mental health, social relationship and environmental health. Higher scores indicate a better overall quality of life.
Measured: Baseline, immediately post-intervention , 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up
MMAS-8
Using the 8-item Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-8) to measure the medication adherence. The total score ranges from 0 to 8. A score of 8 indicates high adherence, 6 to less than 8 indicates medium adherence, and less than 6 indicates low adherence. Higher scores indicate better adherence to the prescribed medication regimen.
Measured: Baseline, immediately post-intervention , 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up
SDSS
Using the 10-item social disability screening schedule (SDSS) to measure social function. Each item is scored from 0 to 2. The total score ranges from 0 to 20, with lower scores indicating better social functioning and less social disability.
Measured: Baseline, immediately post-intervention , 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up
uMARS
Satisfaction and engagement with the digital intervention are assessed using the User Version of Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) . The uMARS includes 14 items across 3 dimensions (information, functionality, user engagement) rated on a 5-point scale. Higher scores indicate better app quality and higher user satisfaction. (Note: This measure is only evaluated for participants in the intervention group).
Measured: immediately post-intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Apr 2026
- Study start19 Apr 2026
- Primary completionJul 2028 (estimated)
- Study completionJul 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for SchizophreniaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Shanghai Mental Health CenterThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 84 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Shanghai Mental Health Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Jun Cai, Principal investigator, Shanghai Mental Health Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07557381
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- JCai1
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 22 Apr 2026
- Last updated
- 11 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effect of a 2-month Somatic Serious Games on the Cognition of Schizophrenia Patients
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07557381
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- JCai1
- Conditions
- Schizophrenia
- Keywords
- Cognition, Schizophrenia, Game-Based Intervention
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 84 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Shanghai Mental Health CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 19 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jul 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jul 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 29 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Schizophrenia is a common and severe mental disorder that imposes a significant burden on patients. Cognitive impairment can be regarded as one of the core symptoms of schizophrenia, which is prevalent among patients with schizophrenia. In recent years, digital rehabilitation therapy based on games has shown a remarkable development trend among schizophrenia patients. Serious games, or application games, refer to those games aimed not only for entertainment. They can educate, train, or change the behavior of players through interesting intervention forms and have been applied in many healthcare fields. This study aims to develop a somatosensory interactive game for patients with cognitive impairment of schizophrenia to improve their cognitive functions and verify its effectiveness and feasibility through a randomized controlled trial.
Detailed description
Traditional cognitive rehabilitation methods, such as computerized cognitive remediation therapy (CCRT), require a significant amount of time and manpower, and are costly. Patients cannot achieve the best improvement within a short period of time; moreover, they cannot replicate real-life scenarios, and lack real interaction and immersion, which limits the application of training results in daily life. Patients with schizophrenia may have difficulty adhering to treatment due to their sense of stigma and the time and energy costs required for treatment, resulting in poor treatment compliance and significant impact on treatment outcomes. Sensory interactive games are based on multitasking and require the brain to simultaneously integrate low-level and high-level cognitive resources, which have a very good effect on overall cognitive function. This study first determined the cognitive dimensions that needed intervention by reviewing literature, collecting data, and discussing with experts in related fields. The game content was designed referring to relevant cognitive psychology paradigms, existing research foundations, and actual community scenarios. The game was developed using the gyroscope of mobile devices for sensory interactive serious games. Through the design of a randomized controlled trial and the use of standardized measurement tools, the changes in patients' cognitive functions before and after the intervention were quantitatively evaluated from a scientific perspective, providing a scientific basis for the implementation of such intervention measures; at the same time, the quality of life, social function, and motor ability, which are more relevant to actual rehabilitation performance, were evaluated to assess their significance in the entire rehabilitation process.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention group (Gamified Digital Rehabilitation) | Experimental | Other: Somatic Serious GamesThe group member (n = 42) will receive approximately 30 minutes of digital rehabilitation training at least three times a week for 8 weeks, with professional supervision and guidance as they use the games. Cognitive function and quality of life were assessed at baseline and follow-up. |
| Controlled group (Routine Rehabilitation Group) | No intervention | –Participants in this arm (n = 42) will receive routine inpatient psychiatric rehabilitation and care during the same period. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 45 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (10 listed)
- Registered in the Shanghai Mental Health Information Management System and hospitalized in the designated district-level mental health center wards;
- Schizophrenia patients meeting the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10);
- 18 - 45 years old;
- Good self-care ability;
- Clinically stable (without acute exacerbation) for at least 1 week before enrollment, with a stable dose of antipsychotic drugs or other concomitant psychotropic drugs for at least 1 week;
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- not reside in Shanghai after discharge;
- suffering from serious physical or brain organic diseases;
- comorbid with other psychotic disorders.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Somatic Serious GamesA serious game for 5 cognitive functions, including 10 games, uses somatosensory technology to achieve interaction, and provides cognitive training close to life scenes for patients with schizophrenia. | Other | Intervention group (Gamified Digital Rehabilitation) |
Primary outcome
MCCB
Time frame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention , 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up
Using MATRIC Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) to measure the cognition. The MCCB includes 9 standardized tests covering domains such as processing speed, attention, and working memory. The raw scores are converted into standardized T-scores based on normative data. Higher T-scores indicate better cognitive performance.
5 secondary outcomes
BPRS
Time frame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention , 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up
WHOQOL-BREF
Time frame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention , 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up
MMAS-8
Time frame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention , 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up
SDSS
Time frame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention , 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up
uMARS
Time frame: immediately post-intervention
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 11 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Schizophrenia
Recruiting
MI-CBTech: A Mobile Intervention for Community Integration in Homeless-Experienced Veterans With SMI
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Psychotic Affective Disorders
RecruitingObservational study
Tau Biomarkers in Late-onset Psychosis (LOP)
Late Onset Schizophrenia, Delusional Disorder (Late Onset)
Active, not recruitingObservational study
Profiling Vulnerability and Resilience for Mental Illness Following Viral Infections
Severe Mental Illness, Inflammation
RecruitingPhase 3
Sequential Treatment Approaches for Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia
Treatment-resistant Schizophrenia
Recruiting
REACH Study (Recovery Environments: Assessing Cognitive & Brain Health in Community Mental Health)
Schizophrenia, Schizo Affective Disorder
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Jun Cai principal investigator
Shanghai Mental Health Center
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Somatic Serious Games in people with Schizophrenia, run by Shanghai Mental Health Center at 1 site in China.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 10 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Weibo Zhang (86-13764694223, zhangweibo600@163.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
MCCB (time frame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention , 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 11 May 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.