Cognitive disturbances in neuroleptic therapy

Eighteen patients (7 men, 11 women) from one of the centres taking part in a multicentre comparative study of remoxipride and haloperidol in the treatment of acute schizophrenia were investigated separately to study the effect of the two neuroleptic drugs on cognitive abilities. The tests of cognitive ability that were used are standard in West Germany. The results of this study indicate that there could be differences between remoxipride and haloperidol regarding their effects on cognitive abilities--the patients who had been treated for four weeks with remoxipride showed a greater "mental fitness".