A smartphone application reduced the severity of negative symptoms among patients with schizophrenia compared with a control, according to findings published today in JAMA Network Open.The CT-155 app aims to target defeatist beliefs and provide therapeutic interventions to improve social skills, positive affect, and distress tolerance.
Why It’s Relevant
For patients with schizophrenia, negative symptoms (such as lack of motivation or pleasure in life) are strongly linked to poor outcomes and quality of life. Yet there is no Food and Drug Administration–approved pharmacological treatments specifically for these symptoms.
By the Numbers
- Over a 16-week period, 457 participants with schizophrenia (average age of 46, 61% male) were randomized to receive either CT-155 or a control app offering schizophrenia-relevant educational lessons.
- Those who used CT-155 experienced greater reductions in their negative symptom scores at the end of week 16, as measured by the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms, Motivation and Pleasure subscale (CAINS-MAP). The CT-155 group’s scores dropped by an average of seven points compared with four points in the control group.
- The changes in the CT-155 group were driven by improvements in the social (relationships with family and friends) and recreational (hobbies and free-time activities) subdomains of the CAINS-MAP. Improvements in the vocational (work, school, and other activities) subdomain were modest and similar in both groups.
- Those who used CT-155 engaged with the app for almost 45 minutes each week, and 70% of participants remained active users through week 15.
- Some participants in both groups experienced serious adverse events, but none were related to their treatment.
The Other Side
All the study participants were receiving stable doses of antipsychotics and had their own smartphones along with regular internet access. As a result, it’s not known how well CT-155 would perform for individuals with a new schizophrenia diagnosis, those initiating new medication, or those with unstable housing.
Takeaway Message
The study suggests that CT-155 may be a safe adjunctive treatment to antipsychotic medication for “individuals with negative symptoms who are typically difficult to engage,” the researchers wrote.
Related Information
Source
Abhishek Pratap, et al. A digital therapeutic intervention for negative symptoms of schizophrenia. JAMA Network Open. Published September 25, 2026. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.35753
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