Dissecting the functional outcomes of first episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a 10-year follow-up study in the PAFIP cohort.

Background: The aim of the current study was to examine the heterogeneity of functional outcomes in first episode psychosis (FEP) patients and related clinical, neurocognitive and sociodemographic factors using a cluster analytic approach.

Method: A large sample of FEP patients (N = 209) was functionally reassessed 10 years after the first contact with an early intervention service. Multiple baseline, 3-year and 10-year follow-up variables were explored.

Comparison of the anti-inflammatory effect of aripiprazole and risperidone in 75 drug-naïve first episode psychosis individuals: A 3 months randomized study.

Introduction: Evidence about the anti-inflammatory properties of antipsychotics has grown. However, no previous studies have compared the immunomodulatory effect of risperidone and aripiprazole.

Objectives: The main aim of the present work is to compare the anti-inflammatory effect of risperidone and aripiprazole on a large array of serum cytokines at 3 months following the onset of treatment.

Age of onset of Cannabis use and cognitive function in first-episode non-affective psychosis patients: Outcome at three-year follow-up.

Background: In recent years, the effects of cannabis use on cognitive functions in patients with psychosis have been widely studied. Recently, special emphasis has been placed on the impact of age at the onset of consumption on cognition in these patients.

Method: 349 patients with a first episode of non-affective psychosis were studied.

The effect of excess weight on circulating inflammatory cytokines in drug-naïve first-episode psychosis individuals.

Background: Low-grade inflammation has been repeatedly associated with both excess weight and psychosis. However, no previous studies have addressed the direct effect of body mass index (BMI) on basal serum cytokines in individuals with first-episode psychosis (FEP).

Objectives: The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of BMI on basal serum cytokine levels in FEP patients and control subjects, separating the total sample into two groups: normal-weight and overweight individuals.

Incidence and risk factors of acute akathisia in 493 individuals with first episode non-affective psychosis: a 6-week randomised study of antipsychotic treatment.

Introduction: Acute akathisia is a neuropsychiatric syndrome with a negative effect on illness outcome. Its incidence in patients treated with antipsychotics has shown to be highly variable across studies.

Objectives: Our goals were to investigate prevalence, risk factors for the development of acute akathisia, and differences in incidence between antipsychotics in a sample of 493 first episode non-affective psychosis patients.

Rates and predictors of relapse in first-episode non-affective psychosis: a 3-year longitudinal study in a specialized intervention program (PAFIP).

Relapses may represent a critical hazard in schizophrenia spectrum disorders as they are associated with an increased risk of a clinical and functional deterioration. Preventing relapse after recovering from a first psychotic episode has become a major challenge due to its critical impact on lifelong functionality. This study explored the rate of first and second relapses and the predictors associated with these relapses in a large cohort of non-affective psychosis patients during a period of 3 years after the first break of the illness.

Incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic dysfunction in first episode schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders: a 3-year prospective randomized interventional study.

Rationale: Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have increased morbidity and mortality, largely due to cardiovascular disease, which is associated with antipsychotic treatment.

Objectives: Because of the link between cardiometabolic risk, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and antipsychotics, we aimed to investigate the development of NAFLD during the first 3 years of antipsychotic treatment in first episode non-affective psychosis patients.

Results: A sample of 191 subjects was included in final analyses, randomly assigned to aripiprazole (N = 83), risperidone (N = 12), quetiapine (N = 46), and ziprasidone (N = 50).

Clinical outcome after antipsychotic treatment discontinuation in functionally recovered first-episode nonaffective psychosis individuals: a 3-year naturalistic follow-up study.

Objective: The timing of antipsychotic discontinuation in patients who have fully recovered from their initial episode of psychosis is still open to discussion. We aimed to evaluate the risk of symptom recurrence during the 3 years after antipsychotic discontinuation in a sample of functionally recovered first-episode nonaffective psychosis (FEP) patients (DSM-IV criteria) with schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

Method: Participants in this open-label, nonrandomized, prospective study were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal intervention program of FEP from a university hospital setting in Spain.

Comparison of metabolic effects of aripiprazole, quetiapine and ziprasidone after 12 weeks of treatment in first treated episode of psychosis.

This randomized open-label study compared the incidence of metabolic side effects of aripiprazole, ziprasidone and quetiapine in a population of medication-naïve first-episode psychosis patients. A total of 202 subjects were enrolled. Body weight, body mass index, leptin, fasting lipids and fasting glycaemic parameters were measured at baseline and at 3 months follow-up.

Differential associations of cognitive insight components with pretreatment characteristics in first-episode psychosis.

An increasing number of studies have focused on cognitive insight (i.e. awareness of one's own thinking) in psychotic disorders.

Course of weight gain and metabolic abnormalities in first treated episode of psychosis: the first year is a critical period for development of cardiovascular risk factors.

Data on the long-term metabolic side-effects associated with antipsychotics are scarce. Prospective longitudinal studies in medication-naive patients with a first episode of psychosis are a valuable source of information as they provide an assessment prior to the antipsychotic exposure and minimize the effect of potential confounding factors. The aim of this study was to assess the course of weight gain and the incidence of metabolic abnormalities during the first 3 yr of antipsychotic treatment.

Treatment of first-episode non-affective psychosis: a randomized comparison of aripiprazole, quetiapine and ziprasidone over 1 year.

Rationale: Discontinuation of antipsychotic treatment at early phases increases the risk of poor adherence to maintenance drug therapy. Differences among antipsychotics in terms of effectiveness may determine a good adherence to treatment.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare the clinical effectiveness of aripiprazole, ziprasidone and quetiapine in the treatment of first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders at 1 year.

Course of cognitive deficits in first episode of non-affective psychosis: a 3-year follow-up study.

Cognitive dysfunctions are critical determinants of the quality of life and functionality in schizophrenia. Whether the cognitive deficits present at an early stage, are static or change across one's lifespan is still under debate. This study aims to investigate the long-term (3 years) course of cognitive deficits in a large and representative cohort of first episode schizophrenia spectrum patients (N=155),and evaluate their influence on disability.

Long-term (3-year) neurocognitive effectiveness of antipsychotic medications in first-episode non-affective psychosis: a randomized comparison of haloperidol, olanzapine, and risperidone.

Introduction: The initially postulated superior neurocognitive effectiveness of second-generation antipsychotics is currently under debate.

Methods: A prospective, randomized, open-label study was carried out to compare the long-term neurocognitive effectiveness of haloperidol, olanzapine, and risperidone in the first episode of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. A final sample of 79 patients randomized to haloperidol (N = 28), olanzapine (N = 23), or risperidone (N = 28) who completed clinical and cognitive evaluations at baseline and 3-year follow-up was included in the final analysis.

Aripiprazole, ziprasidone, and quetiapine in the treatment of first-episode nonaffective psychosis: results of a 6-week, randomized, flexible-dose, open-label comparison.

Differences among antipsychotics in effectiveness have turned out to be a topic of increasing research interest, although comparisons between the different second-generation antipsychotics are scarce. From October 2005 to March 2011, a prospective, randomized, open-label study comparing the effectiveness of aripiprazole, ziprasidone, and quetiapine in the short-term treatment of first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders was undertaken. Two hundred two patients were randomly assigned to aripiprazole (n = 78), ziprasidone (n = 62), or quetiapine (n = 62) and followed up for 6 weeks.

Long-term effect of haloperidol, olanzapine, and risperidone on plasma prolactin levels in patients with first-episode psychosis.

Objective: The main goal of this study was to assess the long-term effect of haloperidol, olanzapine, and risperidone on serum prolactin levels in a naturalistically treated first-episode psychosis population.

Methods: Patients included in this study were drawn from a prospective, randomized, open-label clinical trial. Prolactin levels were measured in 110 patients with medication-naive first-episode psychosis at baseline, 3 months, and 1 year.

Predicting relapse after a first episode of non-affective psychosis: a three-year follow-up study.

Background: Preventing relapse during the first years of illness has a critical impact on lifelong outcomes in schizophrenia. A better understanding and improvement in factors which influence relapse should diminish the risk of relapse and consequently improve the outcome of the illness.

Objective: To identify factors associated with relapse after 3 years of a first episode in a sample of non-affective psychosis patients who are representative of clinical practice in an epidemiological catchment.

Homocysteine and cognition in first-episode psychosis patients.

In the last years, there has been growing evidence linking elevated homocysteine levels with cognitive dysfunction in several neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential relationship between elevated homocysteine levels and cognitive deficits in first-episode psychosis patients. Plasma levels and cognitive performance of 139 patients and 99 healthy volunteers were compared.

Long-term (3-year) effectiveness of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine: results of a randomized, flexible-dose, open-label comparison in first-episode nonaffective psychosis.

Rationale: To enhance the effectiveness of antipsychotics in first-episode psychosis is crucial in order to achieve the most favourable prognosis. Difference in effectiveness between antipsychotics is still under debate.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the long-term (3-year) effectiveness and efficacy of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Using structural equations to test for a direct effect of some antipsychotics on triglyceride levels in drug-naïve first-episode psychosis patients.

Some antipsychotics probably increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. Antipsychotics may differentially influence some elements of metabolic syndrome (obesity, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia or hypertension) through various pharmacological mechanisms. In a published study of all first psychotic episodes in a Spanish hospital's catchment area population in Cantabria (Spain), patients were randomly assigned to receive haloperidol (3-9 mg/day), olanzapine (5-20mg/day) or risperidone (3-6 mg/day).

Insight dimensions in first-episode psychosis patients: clinical, cognitive, pre-morbid and socio-demographic correlates.

Aim: To investigate pre-morbid, socio-demographic, clinical and cognitive variables as predictors of insight in a large and representative sample of first-episode psychosis patients.

Methods: The abbreviated Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder was used to assess insight dimensions. Patients with good and poor insight were independently compared on insight dimensions and logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify explanatory variables associated with each insight dimension.

Effectiveness of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine in the treatment of first-episode non-affective psychosis: results of a randomized, flexible-dose, open-label 1-year follow-up comparison.

The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effectiveness and efficacy of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. This was a prospective, randomized, open-label study. Data for the present investigation were obtained from a large epidemiological and 3-year longitudinal intervention programme of first-episode psychosis conducted at the University Hospital Marques de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain.

A digit symbol coding task as a screening instrument for cognitive impairment in first-episode psychosis.

Cognitive impairment may be detected largely by examining the performance on a single neuropsychological measure. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the validity and diagnostic accuracy of a coding task in comparison with other related tasks. One hundred thirty-one first-episode psychosis patients were administered five cognitive tasks related to a "speed of processing and executive functioning" dimension (Digit Symbol, Trail Making Test [TMT] parts A and B, Cancellation Test, and Digit Span-backward) and an additional measure of functional outcome.

Relapse prevention and remission attainment in first-episode non-affective psychosis. A randomized, controlled 1-year follow-up comparison of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine.

The effectiveness of antipsychotics in preventing relapses and attaining symptomatic remission is a relevant topic of psychopharmacological research. The purpose of the present study was to compare the relapse and symptomatic remission rates during the first year of treatment between low doses of haloperidol and SGAs (olanzapine and risperidone) in drug-naïve first-episode non-affective psychosis individuals. This is a prospective, randomized, open-label study conducted from February 2001 to February 2006.