Selective pair recognition memory impairment with no response bias in schizophrenia.

Memory is one of the cognitive functions most affected in schizophrenia, but the severity of deficits varies from one task to another. In particular, greater impairments have been reported for pair recognition than item recognition. However, decision biases and how they could affect memory dysfunction in schizophrenia have received scant attention.

Apomorphine effects on episodic memory in young healthy volunteers.

Rationale: Dopamine (DA) modulates working memory. However, the relation between DA systems and episodic (declarative) memory is less established. Frontal lobe DA function may be involved.

No association between the DRD3 Ser9Gly polymorphism and schizophrenia.

Objective: To investigate the association between a Ser9Gly polymorphism of the dopamine D3 receptor gene (DRD3) and schizophrenia.

Methods: 408 schizophrenic patients and 172 control subjects were compared with regard to their DRD3 Ser9Gly genotypic and allelic frequencies. In addition, we carried out a family-based association study including 183 pedigrees (472 subjects) using the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT).

Levomepromazine versus chlorpromazine in treatment-resistant schizophrenia: a double-blind randomized trial.

Objective: We compared the effect of levomepromazine (LMP) with chlorpromazine (CPZ) in treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS).

Methods: We carried out a double-blind, parallel group study (n = 19/arm) with balanced randomization in blocks of 4 and stratification by sex. Subjects entered a 30-week trial, of which phases I-III were open: phase I (wk 0-6) baseline; phase II (wk 7-9) stepwise transition to haloperidol (HAL), 30 mg/d, plus benztropine (BT), 4 mg/d; phase III (wk 10-15) HAL, 40-60 mg/d, plus BT, 4-6 mg/d; phase IV (wk 16-20) stepwise transition to LMP or CPZ (500 mg/d) following randomization; phase V (wk 21-28) stepwise increase of LMP or CPZ (600-1000 mg/d, dose reduction permitted) to establish optimum dose; and phase VI (wk 29-30) optimized dose maintained.

Associative memory encoding and recognition in schizophrenia: an event-related fMRI study.

Background: We used an event-related functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) approach to examine the neural basis of the selective associative memory deficit in schizophrenia.

Methods: Fifteen people with schizophrenia and 18 controls were scanned during a pair and item memory encoding and recognition task. During encoding, subjects studied items and pairs of visual objects.

Association study of the trinucleotide repeat polymorphism within SMARCA2 and schizophrenia.

Background: Brahma (BRM) is a key component of the multisubunit SWI/SNF complex, a complex which uses the energy of ATP hydrolysis to remodel chromatin. BRM contains an N-terminal polyglutamine domain, encoded by a polymorphic trinucleotide (CAA/CAG) repeat, the only known polymorphism in the coding region of the gene (SMARCA2). We have examined the association of this polymorphism with schizophrenia in a family-based and case/control study.

Adjunctive topiramate in ultradian cycling bipolar disorder: case report with 3-year follow-up.

A patient with a treatment-refractory bipolar disorder with ultradian cycling responded to adjunctive topiramate. Response was maintained during 3-year follow-up.

Increased prevalence of schizophrenia spectrum disorders in relatives of neuroleptic-nonresponsive schizophrenic patients.

Objective: It is suggested that schizophrenic patients who respond to neuroleptic medication and those who do not might differ with respect to their pathogenesis. In particular, it has been proposed that genetic factors may contribute to treatment response and/or outcome. In order to test this hypothesis, we compared the pattern of familial aggregation of schizophrenia related disorders in schizophrenic patients who are either responders (R) or nonresponders (NR) to typical neuroleptics.

Cognitive and clinical moderators of recognition memory in schizophrenia: a meta-analysis.

Recognition memory performance in schizophrenia has been shown to vary greatly across studies. To identify the conditions under which recognition memory is significantly impaired, we used a meta-analytic strategy to quantify the moderating effects of several cognitive and clinical variables. Eighty-four studies (from 1965 to July 2003) provided recognition memory data for both a schizophrenia and control group.

CAA insertion polymorphism in the 3'UTR of Nogo gene on 2p14 is not associated with schizophrenia.

The Nogo gene was putatively implicated in schizophrenia based on gene expression and genetic association data. In this study, we attempt to replicate the possible association of the CAA insertion and a nearby TATC deletion with schizophrenia in 204 complete and incomplete triads and in a sample of 462 unrelated cases and 153 controls, all of Caucasian origin. Our genotyping results indicated that neither the trinucleotide insertion polymorphism (CAAins; 43.

Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene and schizophrenia phenotypic variability: a genetic association study.

Recently, two polymorphisms (DBH5'-Ins/del and DBH 444 g/a) of the Dopamine Beta Hydroxylase (DBH) gene were isolated, and one haplotype (Del-a) was found to be associated with low DBH activity and cocaine-induced paranoia. The purpose of this study is to test for association between these two polymorphisms and schizophrenia or its phenotypic variability with respect to neuroleptic therapeutic response and symptom profile. Allelic and haplotype distributions of these two polymorphisms were compared between two groups of schizophrenic patients (excellent neuroleptic-responders; R, n = 42 and non-responders; NR, n = 64), and one group of healthy volunteers (n = 120).

Nicotine and behavioral markers of risk for schizophrenia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study.

We investigated the effect of nicotine on three behavioral markers of risk for schizophrenia: sustained attention (using the Continuous Performance Task (CPT)), antisaccade performance, and smooth pursuit. Smooth pursuit was investigated in two conditions, one in which attention was enhanced (monitoring target changes) and one in which attention was not enhanced (no monitoring). Patients with schizophrenia (n = 15) and controls (n = 14) were given a 14-mg nicotine patch in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design and plasma nicotine concentrations were monitored.

Neuropsychological impairments in neuroleptic-responder vs. -nonresponder schizophrenic patients and healthy volunteers.

To determine whether two groups of schizophrenic patients representing the two extremes of the neuroleptic response-spectrum (consistent responders vs. consistent nonresponders) differ with respect to their neuropsychological profile. Neuroleptic-responder (R; n=36) and -nonresponder (NR; n=39) schizophrenic patients were recruited according to a priori defined criteria of responsiveness to typical neuroleptics.