Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 20, 2026

Standardized Data Acquisition for Neuromelanin-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Substantia Nigra
Published on: September 8, 2021
α-Lipoic Acid as Adjunctive Treatment for Schizophrenia: An Open-Label Trial
Lia Lira Olivier Sanders1, Carlos Eduardo de Souza Menezes, Adriano José Maia Chaves Filho
1From the *Neuropsychopharmacology and Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Ceará; †Centro Universitário Christus-Unichristus; ‡Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analysis, Universidade Federal do Ceará; §Departament of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE; ∥Laboratório de Psiquiatria Molecular, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; ¶Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psiquiatria e Ciências do Comportamento, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS; and #Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Ceará; **Faculty of Psychology, Health Sciences Center, Universidade de Fortaleza-UNIFOR, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
Purpose/Background:
Accumulating evidence suggests an involvement of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This offers a hypothesis-derived therapeutic approach to hinder oxidative damage and its clinical sequelae. α-Lipoic acid (ALA) is a powerful natural antioxidant indicated to treat diabetic neuropathy.
Methods/Procedures:
In this pilot investigation, we administered ALA (100 mg/d) for 4 months, as an adjunct to antipsychotic medication, to 10 patients with schizophrenia.
Findings/Results:
We found robust improvement in measures of psychopathology (63.9% reduction in Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores), neurocognitive parameters, extrapyramidal symptoms, and decreased lipid peroxidation.
Implications/Conclusions:
If larger, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies confirm these preliminary findings, ALA could prove useful as adjunctive therapy for schizophrenia.
Related Concept Videos
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Drug Therapy
Antianxiety Medications
Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview
Antipsychotic Drugs: Typical and Atypical Agents
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
Mania and Antimanic Drugs: Overview
