objective: glutamate antagonists including anticonvulsant topiramate have been recommended for the pharmacological management of schizophrenia. methods: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial was performed on 32 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (18-45 years old). baseline information was gathered on demographic characteristics, vital signs, height, weight, smoking ha...

Background Paliperidone palmitate once-monthly (PP1M) demonstrated symptomatic and functional remission in patients with schizophrenia. This post hoc analysis aimed to identify factors associated with improved clinical outcomes in patients switching to PP1M (75-150 mg eq.). Methods The improved patient outcomes were observed as Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS, symptoms) score <70:6...

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the efficacy of aripiprazole for the management of cognitive impairments and hyperprolactinemia in patients with schizophrenia on a stable dose of risperidone. METHODS Thirty-five subjects stabilized on risperidone (3-6 mg/day) for a minimum of 3 months were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase for 12 weeks and an open-label phase for anoth...

BACKGROUND Despite the wide use of the Excited Component of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-EC) in a clinical setting to assess agitated patients, a validation study to evaluate its psychometric properties was missing. METHODS Data from the observational NATURA study were used. This research describes trends in the use of treatments in patients with acute psychotic episodes an...

BACKGROUND Patients with schizophrenia suffer high rates of metabolic derangements on some antipsychotic medications that predispose them to cardiovascular diseases. Keeping this fact in mind, we planned this open-label study to see the effect on various metabolic parameters after switching stable schizophrenia subjects, who had developed metabolic syndrome on olanzapine, to aripiprazole. MET...

BACKGROUND Depressive symptoms are common in schizophrenia and are considered core features of the disorder. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between depressive symptoms and subjective well-being in newly admitted patients with schizophrenia. METHODS Eighty newly admitted patients were comprehensively evaluated for subjective well-being, schizophrenic symptoms,...

INTRODUCTION Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that negatively affects the quality of life and psychosocial functions. Defined criteria to assess remission in schizophrenia are considered to be useful in the long-term follow-up of patients and in discriminating diagnostic factors. This study investigated the quality of life and functionality in schizophrenia patients in symptomatic remission (...

Methods: Study subjects had a diagnosis of schizophrenia (DSM-IV-TR) with a duration of ≥2 years and had been clinically stable for ≥6 months but continued to have a Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) negative symptom score of ≥24 plus a score of ≥4 on at least 2 of the 4 core negative PANSS symptoms: blunted affect, passive social withdrawal, lack of spontaneity, and flow of conversa...

This 6-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of low-dose (1.5-4.5 mg/day) and high-dose (6-12 mg/day) cariprazine in patients with acute exacerbation of schizophrenia (NCT00404573). The primary efficacy measure was change in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score, analyzed using a last observation ca...

Sir, We would like to respond to the article titled "Re-emergence of positive symptoms of schizophrenia during the course of treatment with risperidone" (Bajaj et al.), that was published in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol.41/No.2/April, 1999. It was quite interesting to note that these authors had observed a re-emergence of positive symptoms in 7 patients, out of 30 patients of schizophr...