Trial results for a study on optimizing cognitive remediation in veterans with mental illness, including schizophrenia, were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-02-25, reporting key measurements and analyses for 100 participants.
Background
Veterans facing mental illness often encounter significant hurdles in community reintegration, including vocational and educational attainment, and maintaining a high quality of life. While VA Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs and Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Centers aim to address these barriers, cognitive impairment frequently observed in veterans with mental illness can limit the benefits derived from these programs. Cognitive remediation interventions are recognized as potentially helpful in mitigating these cognitive challenges.
Trial design
This completed study enrolled 100 participants to investigate conditions including Schizophrenia, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Mood Disorders. The trial focused on veterans engaged in VA Mental Health Rehabilitation/Recovery programs. The study aimed to collect data on various cognitive and functional outcomes, though no specific phase was designated.
Key results
The trial reported several key measurements for veterans engaged in VA Mental Health Rehabilitation/Recovery:
- MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery Global Composite T-score (MCCB-C): A mean score of 40.59 (Standard Deviation 13.81) T-Score was observed.
- Cognitive Training Performance-Number of Levels Completed: A mean of 14.94 (Standard Deviation 5.05) number of levels completed was reported.
- World Health Organization Disability Schedule (WHODAS 2.0): Mean scores of 25.8 (Standard Deviation 10.01), 23.16 (Standard Deviation 10.41), 22.54 (Standard Deviation 10.52), and 22.87 (Standard Deviation 10.31) on a rating scale were recorded.
- WHOQOL-BREF Total Score: Mean scores of 80.94 (Standard Deviation 16.41), 83.95 (Standard Deviation 16.29), 84.93 (Standard Deviation 18.50), and 84.4 (Standard Deviation 17.89) on a rating scale were reported.
- Treatment Engagement: A mean of 0.07 (Standard Deviation 0.106) proportion of missed/cancelled visits was observed.
- Mismatch Negativity (MMN): A mean of -1.46 (Standard Deviation 0.83) μV was measured.
Key analyses included:
- A bivariate correlation analysis relating global MMN to global MCCB-C age- and gender-corrected z-scores yielded a p-value of 0.078.
- A linear regression model predicting performance on cognitive remediation exercises from MMN yielded a p-value of 0.009.
- A repeated measures general linear model predicting change in WHODAS 2.0 total score over 4 months from baseline MMN values yielded a p-value of 0.506.
- A repeated measures general linear model predicting average monthly WHOQOL-BREF scores over 4 months from MMN values yielded a p-value of 0.817.
- Another linear regression analysis yielded a p-value of 0.199.
What this means
The posted results provide specific measurements for cognitive function, disability, quality of life, and treatment engagement in veterans with mental illness. Notably, a linear regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant relationship (p-value of 0.009) where Mismatch Negativity (MMN) predicted cognitive remediation exercise performance. This suggests MMN may serve as an indicator for predicting response to cognitive training. Other analyses, including a bivariate correlation between MMN and MCCB-C (p-value of 0.078) and repeated measures models for WHODAS 2.0 (p-value of 0.506) and WHOQOL-BREF (p-value of 0.817), did not reach statistical significance in this study.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT04395157, titled "Optimizing Cognitive Remediation", were posted on 2026-02-25 on clinicaltrials.gov.