Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026
10:32
Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills
Published on: April 23, 2014
Adverse effects of risperidone on spatial working memory in first-episode schizophrenia
James L Reilly1, Margret S H Harris, Matcheri S Keshavan
1Center for Cognitive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Archives of General Psychiatry
|November 8, 2006
Summary
First-episode schizophrenia patients show working memory deficits that worsen with risperidone treatment. This antipsychotic may impair spatial information encoding, potentially linked to prefrontal D1 receptor changes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Working memory impairments are a core feature of schizophrenia.
- The effects of early-stage illness and antipsychotic treatment on working memory are not fully understood.
- The oculomotor delayed response task is a key translational paradigm for studying working memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate spatial working memory performance in first-episode schizophrenia patients.
- To assess changes in performance before and after antipsychotic treatment (risperidone).
Main Methods:
- Twenty-five antipsychotic-naive, first-episode schizophrenia patients underwent an oculomotor delayed response task.
- Performance was measured at baseline and after 6 weeks of risperidone treatment.
- Twenty-five healthy controls were studied for comparison.
Main Results:
- Patients showed impaired spatial working memory at longer delays (8 seconds) before treatment.
- After 6 weeks of risperidone, this impairment worsened across all delay durations (1-8 seconds).
- No generalized oculomotor or significant extrapyramidal side effects were observed.
Conclusions:
- Spatial working memory deficits are evident early in schizophrenia.
- Risperidone treatment appeared to exacerbate these deficits, possibly by affecting information encoding.
- Findings suggest potential involvement of prefrontal D1 receptor systems, based on primate studies.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia indicate a reduction or absence of typical behaviors and emotional responses found in healthy individuals, while positive symptoms reflect an excess or distortion of normal functioning.
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
01:30Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Schizophrenia is a complex mental health disorder that can manifest with various positive symptoms, including thought, movement, and behavior disorders. These symptoms significantly disrupt cognitive and motor functions, leading to profound effects on an individual's ability to engage with the world.
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes loosely...
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes loosely...
01:28Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview
The term "psychosis" refers to a spectrum of mental disorders characterized by abnormal thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors. It can manifest as mood disorders, dementia, delirium with psychotic features, substance-induced psychosis with psychotic features, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. Among all these disorders, schizophrenia is the most common psychotic disorder, affecting 1% of the worldwide population. Psychotic symptoms in all...
01:21Antipsychotic Drugs: Therapeutic Uses and Side Effects
Antipsychotic drugs primarily block dopamine and serotonin receptors and cholinergic, adrenergic, and histaminergic receptors, thereby reducing hallucinations and delusions in conditions like schizophrenia. However, they can trigger unwanted extrapyramidal effects such as dystonias, Parkinson-like symptoms, and tardive dyskinesia.
Despite these side effects, antipsychotics are used therapeutically for various purposes, including managing schizophrenia, preventing nausea and vomiting, curbing...
Despite these side effects, antipsychotics are used therapeutically for various purposes, including managing schizophrenia, preventing nausea and vomiting, curbing...
01:21Antipsychotic Drugs: Typical and Atypical Agents
Antipsychotic drugs are classified into first-generation (typical) drugs including phenothiazines; and second-generation (atypical) drugs. Chlorpromazine hydrochloride (Thorazine), a phenothiazine derivative, broadly impacts the central, autonomic, and endocrine systems. This drug, along with typical agents like haloperidol (Haldol), primarily works by antagonizing D2 receptors, thus reducing dopaminergic neurotransmission. However, typical antipsychotics can cause side effects such as sedation...
01:29Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder, has been historically misunderstood. Early psychological theories attributed its origins to childhood trauma and unresponsive parenting. However, contemporary research largely rejects these notions, favoring the vulnerability-stress hypothesis. This model proposes that individuals with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may develop the disorder following exposure to significant environmental stressors. Notably, studies on high-risk...