Treatment with amisulpride and olanzapine improve neuropsychological function in schizophrenia

✍ Scribed by Ann M. Mortimer; Eileen Joyce; Krishnapillai Balasubramaniam; Prasoon C. Choudhary; Packeeruther T. Saleem

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 183 KB
• Volume: 22
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6222
• DOI: 10.1002/hup.865

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Objectives

Although antipsychotic drugs control acute psychotic manifestations of schizophrenia, improving cognitive symptoms is also important for long‐term prognosis.

Methods

Three hundred and seventy‐seven adult patients with acute psychosis were randomised to either amisulpride (200–800 mg/d) or olanzapine (5–20 mg/d) for 6 months. Neuropsychological performance was assessed at inclusion and after 6 months in a subgroup of 26 subjects (11 treated with amisulpride and 15 with olanzapine) using the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), the Trail Making Test (TMT) and the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT).

Results

The improvement in BPRS score was similar in both treatment groups. No significant differences in test performance between groups were observed at inclusion. After 6 months, AVLT scores increased by 8.7 points in the amisulpride group and by 2.3 points in the olanzapine group (p = 0.049). Completion speed in the TMT increased by 17.4 s (amisulpride) and 15.4 s (olanzapine) for Part A and by 39.8 and 48.8 s, respectively for Part B. Performance in the COWAT improved little in both groups.

Conclusions

Both amisulpride and olanzapine produce sustained improvement in certain measures of neuropsychological performance in patients with schizophrenia; a significant improvement in score on the AVLT was observed only with amisulpride. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.