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Donepezil in schizophrenia--is it helpful? An experimental design case study
G W MacEwan1, T S Ehmann, I Khanbhai
1Department of Psychiatry, St Vincent's Hospital, 749 W. 33rd Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 2K4.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
|January 10, 2002
Summary
Adding donepezil to risperidone improved verbal fluency and patient satisfaction in a stable schizophrenia patient. This study suggests exploring cholinergic enhancement for schizophrenia in future trials.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Schizophrenia treatment often involves antipsychotics like risperidone.
- Cognitive deficits persist in many schizophrenia patients despite adequate symptom control.
- Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are primarily used for Alzheimer's disease.
Observation:
- A case study investigated the effects of adding donepezil to risperidone in a high-functioning outpatient with stable schizophrenia.
- An experimental ABAB design was employed for assessment.
- Neuropsychological tests, clinical rating scales, and visual analogue scales were used for objective and subjective evaluations.
Findings:
- Donepezil addition led to significant improvements in verbal fluency.
- The patient reported a positive subjective response to donepezil.
- No adverse psychiatric symptoms or side effects were observed during the trial.
Implications:
- Cholinergic enhancement may offer benefits for cognitive function in schizophrenia.
- Further research with larger, controlled trials is warranted to validate these findings.
- Donepezil could be a potential adjunctive therapy for specific schizophrenia-related cognitive deficits.