COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - COMPARISON OF TREATMENT WITHATYPICAL ANTIPSYCHOTIC AGENTS AND CONVENTIONAL NEUROLEPTIC DRUGS

Impaired cognitive function is both a feature of schizophrenia and a s ide effect of conventional neuroleptics. Maze tests were used to deter mine the effects on cognition of conventional dopamine antagonist neur oleptics (haloperidol and fluphenazine) and the newer serotonin-dopami ne antagonist antipsychotics (risperidone and clozapine). Patients on clozapine or risperidone showed better performance on the maze tasks t han untreated patients or patients taking conventional neuroleptics. I n particular, patients treated with risperidone or clozapine were bett er able to maintain motor coordination while they focused on the more complex ''frontal'' maze tasks which required sequencing and planning. In view of the restrictions on the use of clozapine, it is suggested that risperidone should be more widely used in schizophrenia because i t preserves cognitive function better than conventional neuroleptics a nd is therefore likely to allow patients to have better insight into t heir illness and to have better long-term quality of life expectations .