Loading...
Recent research confirms Kraepelin’s insight that cognitive impairment is an essential component of schizophrenia. Multiple industry-sponsored studies and meta-analyses have suggested that atypical antipsychotics are superior to neuroleptics in improving this dysfunction, but the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness suggest otherwise.
Researchers randomized 1493 schizophrenia patients to olanzapine (mean modal dose, 21 mg/day), quetiapine (566 mg/day), risperidone (4 mg/day), ziprasidone (122 mg/day), or perphenazine (22 mg/day). Neuropsychological testing was performed at baseline in 1331 patients and at 2, 6, and 18 months in patients who continued their assigned medications (817, 523, and 303 patients, respectively)…