Computerised tomography in newly diagnosed schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder. A controlled blind study.

Patients with newly diagnosed schizophrenia (n = 27) or schizophreniform disorder (n = 22) and 24 healthy volunteers were investigated by CT scan, the investigators being blind to subject status. The patients had never received medication or had been treated only briefly with neuroleptics. The patients had significantly smaller brain volume and brain length than the controls.

The St. Hans Rating Scale for extrapyramidal syndromes: reliability and validity.

The St. Hans Rating Scale (SHRS) is a multidimensional rating scale for the evaluation of neuroleptic-induced hyperkinesia, parkinsonism, akathisia and dystonia. This scale and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) were tested by 7 raters (2 experienced, 2 less experienced and 3 totally inexperienced) in 30 psychiatric patients with tardive dyskinesia (TD).

Effects of serotonergic and anticholinergic drugs in haloperidol-induced dystonia in Cebus monkeys.

In rodents, serotonin (5-HT) antagonists counteract behavioral and biochemical effects of neuroleptic drugs. Therefore, we have studied the effect of different 5-HT drugs and one anticholinergic drug in acute dystonia in five cebus monkeys chronically treated with haloperidol. Acute dystonia induced by subcutaneous injections of haloperidol was slightly reduced by the 5-HT antagonist methysergide (4.

Effects of citalopram, a specific serotonin uptake inhibitor, in tardive dyskinesia and parkinsonism.

Serotonin (5-HT) has been proposed to exert an inhibitory effect on central dopamine activity, so increased brain 5-HT would be expected to reduce tardive dyskinesia (TD). Therefore a new antidepressant, a selective 5-HT uptake inhibitor, citalopram, was evaluated in 13 psychiatric patients with TD, 11 of whom also had neuroleptic-induced parkinsonism. Drug effects during active treatment (20-40 mg/day for 3 weeks) and pre- and posttreatment placebo periods were scored blindly from videotapes recorded weekly.

Tolerability and therapeutic effect of clozapine. A retrospective investigation of 216 patients treated with clozapine for up to 12 years.

Two hundred and sixteen psychiatric patients (183 men and 33 women) hospitalized in Sct. Hans Hospital were treated with clozapine between 1971-1983. All had been treated previously with one or more neuroleptic(s) and had either failed to respond adequately, or their response was limited by side effects.

Effect of a cholinomimetic drug (RS 86) in tardive dyskinesia and drug-related parkinsonism.

RS 86, a specific muscarinic agonist, was evaluated in a blind, placebo-controlled, single-dose trial in 10 psychiatric patients with stable tardive dyskinesia (TD). RS 86, 0.5-4 mg orally, produced no significant effects in TD, although 4 mg caused a minimal aggravation in parkinsonism.

Fluperlapine in tardive dyskinesia and parkinsonism.

Fluperlapine, a new clozapine-like neuroleptic drug with weak affinity for dopamine receptors, was evaluated in a blind, placebo controlled trial in 11 patients with stable hyperkinesia (ten with tardive dyskinesia (TD) and one with spontaneous dyskinesia). Drug effects during active treatment (200-600 mg/day) and during pre- and post-treatment placebo periods were determined by scoring randomly sequenced videotapes of TD and parkinsonian symptoms recorded weekly during standardized examinations. TD score was unchanged, while parkinsonism slightly decreased (P less than 0.