Schizophrenia cognitive function

Weinberger DR, Gallhoffer B Cognitive function in schizophrenia. Int Clin... 

This chapter deals with the question of how psychotropic drugs act upon cognitive functions in man. Some of the pertinent information, i.e. how single doses of these pharmaceuticals affect cognitive performance in healthy volunteers under experimental conditions, has been reviewed and discussed in Chapter 3. However, when dealing with drug effects in patients suffering from schizophrenia, depression, anxiety disorders, etc. one must expect a much... 

According to this model, a discussion of potential therapeutic drug effects on cognitive function in schizophrenia should focus upon the correction of abnormalities in thought and speech. Other authors, e.g. Schultz and Andreasen (1999), appear to subsume a much wider range of schizophrenic symptoms under the umbrella of cognitive abnormalities Several cognitive and emotional functions are impaired, such as perception (hallucinations),... 

Weiss, E.M.. Bilder, R.M., Fleischhacker, W.W. The effects of second-generation antipsychotics on cognitive functioning and psychosocial outcome in schizophrenia. Psychopharmacology 162, 11-17, 2002. 

FIGURE 11—27. The mesocortical dopamine pathway may mediate deficits in cognitive functioning and negative symptoms in schizophrenia because of a relative deficiency in dopamine, due either to a primary deficiency or to various secondary causes, such as serotonin excess. In either case, blockade of 5HT2A receptors with an atypical antipsychotic should lead to dopamine release, which could compensate for the dopamine deficiency and improve negative and cognitive symptoms. 

Some patients improve with ziprasidone when conventional antipsychotics fail, although probably not as much as with clozapine. Studies demonstrate that ziprasidone is highly effective for the positive symptoms and also improves the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Some studies suggest that ziprasidone may improve cognitive functioning in schizophrenia and also in dementia. 

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