Objective: The limitations of antipsychotic therapy in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder led to the investigation of the putative utility of pharmacologic augmentation strategies. The antitumor agent bexarotene via nuclear retinoid X receptor (RXR) activation might modulate numerous metabolic pathways involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. This trial aimed to investigate efficacy and safety of add-on bexarotene to ongoing antipsychotic treatment of patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Schizophr Relat Psychoses
April 2015
As women age and enter menopause, they are sometimes more susceptible than men to certain physical and mental disorders such as osteoporosis and late-onset schizophrenia. Risedronate (Actonel©) is a bisphosphonate used for the treatment of osteopenia. Early initiation of pharmacotherapy for osteopenia is recommended to prevent greater bone loss.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Pregnenolone (PREG) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are reported to have a modulatory effect on neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity, and response to stress; they are associated with mood regulation and cognitive performance. We investigated the influence of PREG and DHEA on psychotic symptoms and cognitive functioning as an add-on to ongoing antipsychotic treatment of patients with chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
Method: This 8-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, 2-center study compared 30 mg/d of PREG (PREG-30), 200 mg/d of PREG (PREG-200), 400 mg/d of DHEA, and placebo as an adjunctive treatment of 58 chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder patients (DSM-IV).
Objective: Two questions were addressed in the present report: whether cognitive improvement would occur during 12-month ziprasidone treatment and whether the changes in cognitive functioning are dependent of changes in the illness-related variables.
Methods: Seventy schizophrenia patients with persistent symptoms or troublesome side effects were assigned to a 12-month, open-label, flexible-dosage (40-160 mg/d) trial. Outcome measures were taken at baseline, 6, and 12 months and included the Mindstreams Computerized Cognitive Battery, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Clinical Global Impression Scale, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale.