Effect of hormone replacement therapy on cognitive function in women with chronic schizophrenia

Objective. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the cognitive effects of adjuvant hormone replacement therapy (HRT) when used to treat premenopausal women with chronic schizophrenia using an 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Method. Women of childbearing age with chronic schizophrenia were recruited and randomized into placebo and HRT groups, the latter of which was administered 0.625 mg of conjugated oestrogen with 2.5 mg of medroxyprogesterone acetate daily. Each group contained 14 subjects. The principal outcome measure was a cognitive function assessment comprised of the following; the Immediate Visual Recognition Scale, List Recall Scale, Oral Fluency Test, Trail-Making Tests A and B, and Digit Symbol Test. Psychopathology was measured using the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia. Extrapyramidal symptoms were evaluated using the Drug-Induced Extra-Pyramidal Symptoms Scale. Results. Improvements in SANS and in cognitive function as assessed using the List Recall Scale, Oral Fluency Test, and Trail-Making Test A, were significantly greater in the HRT group than in the placebo group. Conclusion. The results of this study suggest that short-term HRT is an effective adjuvant modality for improving cognitive function in women of childbearing age with chronic schizophrenia.