RISPERIDONE, NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS AND COGNITIVE DEFICIT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA- AN OPEN STUDY

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a new antipsychot ic compound on negative symptoms and cognitive deficit in schizophreni a. Psychiatric symptoms and cognition were assessed in 25 patients wit h schizophrenia, at baseline and after they had taken risperidone for 4 weeks. The Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), the Wiscons in Card Sorting Test (WCST) and two WAIS sub-tests were used to assess the patients. After the study period, both negative and positive symp toms and also measures of cognitive performance improved significantly . The WCST results correlated with negative symptom scores before and after treatment. This suggests that negative symptoms and cognitive de ficit have a common underlying substrate which is the target of the ri speridone treatment. Our data show that risperidone may have a substan tial effect on complex cognitive functions in schizophrenia, and they suggest that certain cognitive deficits are relatively dependent on th e negative symptoms of this disorder.