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Nicotine reduces antisaccade errors in task impaired schizophrenic subjects
Abigail L Larrison-Faucher1, Anu A Matorin, Anne B Sereno
1Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, W.M. Keck Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, 6431 Fannin-MSB 7.160A, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry
|April 20, 2004
Summary
Nicotine gum improved cognitive function in schizophrenic patients with task impairments. Specifically, nicotine reduced errors in the antisaccade task, supporting its potential therapeutic benefits for schizophrenia cognitive deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Schizophrenia is associated with cognitive deficits.
- Nicotine and smoking have shown potential in alleviating these deficits.
- Eye movement tasks are used to assess cognitive function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of nicotine gum on eye movement task performance in schizophrenia.
- To determine if nicotine improves cognitive deficits in schizophrenic subjects.
Main Methods:
- Eight schizophrenic subjects and eight controls performed saccade (S) and antisaccade (AS) tasks over three days.
- Subjects received nicotine gum (4 and 6 mg) or control (placebo, no gum) treatments.
- Performance was assessed via errors and reaction times (RTs).
Main Results:
- Schizophrenic subjects showed significant impairments on the AS task, but not all individuals were impaired.
- Nicotine treatment significantly decreased AS errors in impaired schizophrenic subjects, particularly at 6 mg.
- No nicotine effects were observed in non-impaired schizophrenics or controls on the AS task.
- All subjects performed normally on the simple S task, with no nicotine effects.
Conclusions:
- Nicotine gum demonstrated a cognitive benefit for schizophrenic subjects with impairments on the antisaccade task.
- These findings support previous research on the cognitive benefits of nicotine in schizophrenia.
- Nicotine may be a potential therapeutic agent for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.