[Effect of olanzapine treatment on cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia]

The aim of this study was to assess whether olanzapine treatment results in an improvement of cognitive functions that became impaired by the schizophrenic process.

The correlation of the intensity of schizophrenic symptoms and duration of the disease with the level of cognitive functions were also examined. The schizophrenic patients were examined in three steps: before beginning of olanzapine treatment, after 6 weeks of treatment, and after approximately 12 months since the beginning of the olanzapine treatment, 36 patients were examined (9 female, 27 male) aged 20-53 (X = 25.4). The following tests were applied: Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale--PANSS, Squire's Memory Questionnaire, sub-scales: Digit span and Similarities of the Wechsler's Intelligence Scale, Long-term memory sub-test of the Choynowski's Memory Scale, Diagnosis of Brain Damages, Clock Completion Test, Decroly's Box.

The olanzapine treatment of schizophrenia was characterised by significant antipsychotic efficacy including both positive and negative symptoms. The positive symptoms were associated with the attention range, the planning process context and the immediate memory with the tendency towards loosing remembrance in the process of non-verbal learning. The negative symptoms were associated with concrete conceptual thinking. Improvement of cognitive functions was noted for almost all of the examined functions. The effect of olanzapine therapy in schizophrenic patients may be regarded as personality integrating.