An interventional study of Decoded Neurofeedback in Schizophrenia Disorder and Schizoaffecitve Disorder, sponsored by Columbia University. Not yet recruiting at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 55 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-14.
Sponsored by Columbia University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
The purpose of this study is to learn whether a research neurofeedback training approach done during MRI scans may help reduce hallucinations such as the experience of hearing voices persistent despite treatment.
The overall objective of the current study is to assess the target engagement and efficacy of active decoded neurofeedback (DecNef) as measured by how closely a participant's brain activity aligns with the desired non-AVH-related activation pattern and improvements in AVH measured via the Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale (AHRS). Dose-response curves of target engagement over sessions will be generated.
3,563 studies on the registry are indexed under Schizophrenia; 491 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 51 is below the median of 71 across 2,944 interventional studies indexed under Schizophrenia.
Browse Schizophrenia studies →Columbia University is the lead sponsor of 1,136 studies on the registry; 195 are open to participants now.
Of its 180 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 148 (82%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Postmenopausal
Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Investigational drug or device
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Decoded Neurofeedback is a real-time fMRI technique designed to modulate within-region activation patterns via pattern-based neurofeedback, which is thought to induce selective plasticity. In this study, we are targeting schizophrenia symptoms.
Other: Decoded Neurofeedback
The active comparator is similar to the experimental condition but does not target schizophrenia symptoms.
Other: Decoded Neurofeedback
In this study participants will be randomly assigned to either active or control decoded neurofeedback.
Target Engagement
Target engagement will be evaluated by assessing how closely a participant's brain activity aligns with the desired activation pattern as determined by the fMRI decoder.
Time frame: During MRI sessions (from randomization through final MRI scan).
Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale
The Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale (AHRS) will be the primary tool to evaluate auditory verbal hallucinations. The full scale ranges from 0 to 41, where a higher score indicates more severe hallucinations.
Time frame: During assessment administration (from randomization through final MRI scan)
Plan to share: Yes — Data will be shared via the NIMH data sharing archive.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Dec 2026; primary completion for Jan 2028, 13 months later.
Of 753 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Schizophrenia, half reached primary completion within 33 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 17 and three quarters within 56. This study's planned 13 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 766 studies reached it within 32 months; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 56.
Start moved once since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026: Sep 2026 → Dec 2026, on Oct 14, 2026.
Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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