This study will investigate adjunction pregnenolone for cognitive symptoms and negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

The purpose of this study is to test whether treatment with Aripiprazole leads to a reduction in methamphetamine craving and use in patients diagnosed with methamphetamine dependence. Patients presenting at the Omaha VA Medical Center for treatment of methamphetamine dependence, and meet inclusion criteria for the study will be invited to participate. Participation in the study will last for approximately 14 weeks.

This study is being conducted to evaluate the benefits of in-the-ear vs. open-fit behind-the-ear hearing aids. We want to learn more about which patients prefer each type, so we can make better choices about which type of hearing aid is best for which patients. Participants in this study will try three different sets of hearing aids for 2 months each, then we will evaluate the benefit of each type.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether individualized wound prevention instructions will lengthen the ulcer-free period in veterans with recently healed venous ulcers.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare treatment with fiber and loperamide for fecal incontinence.

The study is designed to examine the effectiveness of a computer-based auditory training program to improve the benefits received by individuals who wear hearing aids. The study will involve 3 groups - a computer-based training group, an active listening group which will involve listening to books on CD, and a placebo group that receives no additional treatment.

Medically ill patients with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are at increased risk for developing symptoms of anxiety and depression and are among the least frequent users of mental health services and treatments. To address the needs of chronically ill patients, we created a time-limited psychosocial intervention to maximize treatment benefits and improve the efficiency and ability of mental health care practitioners to provide services within medical care settings. This study is separated into two randomized study groups. The first group of participants will receive the ACCESS intervention immediately. The second group of participants will be followed for a period of 6 months. After a period of 6 months, those who continue to have symptoms of depression and/or anxiety will be offered the ACCESS intervention.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has stated the need for a brief screening instrument that can assist with the triage of the enormous number of returning OIF/OEF veterans with concussion. The investigators combined selected neurological and brief cognitive tests to develop an instrument called, "Pincus Repeatable Objective Neurobehavioral Evaluation" (PRONE). PRONE takes only 15-20 minutes to administer with immediate results. In a previous study, PRONE was able to predict periventricular white matter disease (PWMD) visible on MRI scans with 91% sensitivity and 76% specificity. Thus, PRONE has shown sensitivity to, and specificity for, white matter abnormalities. Given that white matter abnormalities are the most common type of injury in mTBI, it is probable that PRONE could be sensitive to traumatic axonal injury (TAI) in TBI. Advanced neuroimaging measures, such as diffusion tensor imaging, will be used to help validate PRONE. If validated as a screening tool for OIF/OEF veterans with concussion, PRONE could reduce evaluation and associated waiting times and accelerate the initiation of treatment or case management. These benefits would be expected to increase veteran quality of life and satisfaction with care.

Many older subjects experience difficulty in understanding speech in noisy environments. Part of this problem is related to changes that occur in the ear with age and compromise the hearing of high-pitched sounds. Another part of the problem with speech understanding relates to changes with age in the neural circuits of the brain that process different speech sounds. Evidence suggests that these changes in neural circuits are particularly large if hearing loss is present. Thus, while hearing aids may help compensate for hearing deficits by amplifying speech sounds, additional treatment is necessary to restore optimal neural connections in the brain so that speech sounds can be accurately distinguished from each other. We are developing PC-based training programs in an attempt to restore optimal neural connections. The current randomized trial will evaluate whether two months of training to improve the ability to discriminate different consonant sounds in noise will also improve the understanding of continuous speech and enhance auditory memory and other high-level auditory functions.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether a smoking cessation telephone care coordination program is effective and feasible in VA Mental Health Clinics.