What Is the Minimum Clinically Important Change in Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia? PANSS Based Analyses of a Phase III Clinical Trial.

Introduction: Minimum clinically important difference (MCID) is a measure that defines the minimum amount of change in an objective score of a clinical test that must be reached for that change to be clinically noticeable. We aimed to find the MCID for patients with predominantly negative symptoms of schizophrenia at its earliest occurrence.

Methods: Data of a 26-week long, double-blind study with 454 patients [Positive and Negative Symptom Scale Negative Factor Score (PANSS-FSNS) ≥24, Positive and Negative Symptom Scale Positive Factor Score (PANSS-FSPS) ≤ 19] treated with cariprazine 4.

Real-Life Clinical Experience With Cariprazine: A Systematic Review of Case Studies.

Background: The hierarchy of evidence coming from evidence-based medicine favors meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials over observational studies and clinical cases. Nonetheless, in the field of psychiatry, where conditions are much more complex, additional evidence coming from real-world clinical practice is necessary to complement data from these gold standards. Thus, in this systematic review, the aim is to summarize the evidence coming from clinical case reports regarding cariprazine, a third-generation antipsychotic drug that has been approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder with manic, depressive or mixed features in adults.

The burden of caring for someone with schizophrenia: A cross country report from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Russia.

Introduction: People with schizophrenia often need long-term support in their everyday life. Thus, caregivers are vital factors to support their recovery and long-term functioning. In turn, however, the caregiver role is highly burdensome and may lead to severe distress and burnout, imposing further hardness on patients and their family.

Disentangling the symptoms of schizophrenia: Network analysis in acute phase patients and in patients with predominant negative symptoms.

Background: The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) is widely used in schizophrenia and has been divided into distinct factors (5-factor models) and subfactors. Network analyses are newer in psychiatry and can help to better understand the relationships and interactions between the symptoms of a psychiatric disorder. The aim of this study was threefold: (a) to evaluate connections between schizophrenia symptoms in two populations of patients (patients in the acutely exacerbated phase of schizophrenia and patients with predominant negative symptoms [PNS]), (b) to test whether network analyses support the Mohr 5 factor model of the PANSS and the Kahn 2 factor model of negative symptoms, and finally (c) to identify the most central symptoms in the two populations.

Safety and Tolerability of Cariprazine in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Pooled Analysis of Eight Phase II/III Studies.

Background: Long-term treatment with antipsychotic agents is indicated for patients with schizophrenia, but treatment is associated with adverse events (AEs) that contribute to medication discontinuation and nonadherence. Understanding drug safety profiles is critical to avoid unwanted side effects. Cariprazine is a potent dopamine D/D receptor partial agonist that is approved for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia (EU, US) and acute manic/mixed and depressive episodes associated with bipolar I disorder (US).

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome associated with mtDNA disease.

Introduction: Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) are well-known disorders caused by thiamine deficiency. In addition to the classical concept of these diseases, some literature data suggest a connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and WE/WKS. Psychotic disorders and WKS seem to run in families, as the deficiency of the oxidative phosphorylation can be a trigger factor in psychotic events and WE/WKS as well.

Cariprazine Safety in Adolescents and the Elderly: Analyses of Clinical Study Data.

Schizophrenia is a life-long mental disorder, affecting young adolescents to elderly patients. Antipsychotic treatment is indicated for all patients with schizophrenia, including the very young and old as well. Developmental issues in the young and decline in organ functioning in the elderly could influence reactions to the drug, and require different dosing regimens.