Brain lactate changes during memory tasks in early and long-term schizophrenia
Official title: Observing brain lactate dynamics during a working memory task in first episode and chronic schizophrenia
Funded at Mclean Hospital · NIH-11232294 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project measures how brain lactate levels change during a working memory task in people with new and long-term schizophrenia compared with people without schizophrenia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mclean Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Belmont, United States) |
| Project start | November 15, 2024 |
| Project end | October 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $205,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R21MH138861-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11232294 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults diagnosed with first-episode or chronic schizophrenia who can tolerate MRI scanning, and healthy adults may be recruited as comparison participants.
✕Less likely to help
People without schizophrenia or those who cannot have MRI scans (for example, due to implanted devices, severe claustrophobia, or inability to lie still) are unlikely to be eligible or benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
You would come to McLean Hospital for brain scans that use high-field magnetic resonance spectroscopy while you do a short working memory task. The team will compare people with first-episode schizophrenia, people with chronic schizophrenia, and healthy volunteers to see how lactate and other energy markers change during the task. Researchers will link those metabolic signals to thinking performance and to medication history. The goal is to understand whether a shift toward glycolysis (higher lactate) during cognitive effort relates to the memory and thinking problems people experience.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could clarify energy-based causes of cognitive problems in schizophrenia and point toward new treatment approaches targeting brain metabolism.
How similar studies have gone: Prior resting-state MRS studies found higher lactate in chronic schizophrenia, but measuring dynamic lactate during cognitive tasks with functional MRS is relatively new and less tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Mclean Hospital
Belmont, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Xi — Mclean Hospital
- Study coordinator: Chen, Xi
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.