[Factors connected with the effect of risperidone on psychopathological symptoms and working memory in schizophrenia]

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of some clinical factors such as family history of psychiatric illness, obstetric complications and duration of the illness on the effect of treatment with risperidone on psychopathological symptoms and deficits of working memory in patients with schizophrenia. The study involved 50 patients with schizophrenia, aged 16-50 years (mean 28 years), with duration of the illness 1-15 years (mean 4 years). The clinical and neuropsychological evaluation was performed before and after 3 months of risperidone treatment in dose 2-6 mg (mean 4.2 mg/day). Before treatment, a significantly higher intensity of psychopathological symptoms and of some cognitive dysfunctions was found in schizophrenic patients with family history of psychiatric illness and in those with a history of obstetric complications. After 3 months of risperidone treatment, no difference in the intensity of psychopathological symptoms or the performance on neuropsychological tests was observed among these groups. Patients with longer duration of the illness had less improvement in positive symptoms. The results of this study show that treatment with risperidone may lead to better compensation of psychopathology and of neuropsychological deficits originating in genetic predisposition and obstetric complications. Better effect of risperidone on psychotic symptoms is likely with the administration of the drug early in the course of the illness.