The effects of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on negative symptoms of schizophrenia and the follow-up study.

In this double-blind, randomized controlled study, we assessed the therapeutic effects of high-frequency left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on negative symptoms of schizophrenia. For the study, 117 patients with prominent negative symptoms were randomized to a 20-day course of either active rTMS applied to the left DLPFC (n = 78) or sham rTMS (n = 39). The primary outcome measures were the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS).

Impaired prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle in Chinese patients with first-episode, medication-naïve schizophrenia.

Background: Patients with schizophrenia have prominent abnormality in information processing that can be observed by measures of prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle reflex and PPI deficits have been considered as a candidate endophenotypic marker of schizophrenia. However, there has been little information on PPI and related measures in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. The research was to explore the deficits of acoustic startle reflex that might exist in Chinese patients with schizophrenia.

Effects of risperidone and haloperidol on superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide in schizophrenia.

Oxidative stress may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. No double-blind study has compared the effects of typical and atypical antipsychotics on both antioxidant enzyme activity and nitric oxide (NO) levels in schizophrenic patients. Seventy-eight inpatients with chronic schizophrenia were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of treatment with 6 mg/day of risperidone or 20 mg/day of haloperidol using a double-blind design.

Extract of Ginkgo biloba treatment for tardive dyskinesia in schizophrenia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: Free radicals may be involved in the pathogenesis of tardive dyskinesia (TD). Extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGb) is a potent antioxidant possessing free radical-scavenging activities. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of EGb-761, a standardized extract given in capsule form, in treating TD in schizophrenia patients.