On the trail of a cognitive enhancer for the treatment of schizophrenia.

The aim of this critical review is to address that the study of cognition and antipsychotics is not always driven by logic and that research into real pro-cognitive drug treatments must be guided by a better understanding of the biochemical mechanisms underlying cognitive processes and deficits. Many studies have established that typical neuroleptic drugs do not improve cognitive impairment. Atypical antipsychotics improve cognition, but the pattern of improvement differs from drug to drug.

Switching outpatients with schizophrenia and related disorders on long-acting injectable antipsychotics to olanzapine: an open-label naturalistic pilot study.

Little is known about the feasibility of switching patients with schizophrenia from long-acting injectable antipsychotics to oral olanzapine. We completed an open-label 14-week study to assess such a transition. This study included 25 stable outpatients (DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, or schizoaffective disorder) who were receiving long-acting injectable antipsychotics.