Ondansetron - a promising adjunctive treatment for persistent schizophrenia

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Ondansetron, a serotonin 3 receptor antagonist, is commonly used for nausea and vomiting.
• Emerging evidence suggests ondansetron may alleviate schizophrenia symptoms, including positive, negative, and cognitive domains.
• Real-world studies are needed to validate ondansetron's efficacy and effectiveness in clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of adjunctive ondansetron (8 mg/daily) versus placebo in patients with chronic schizophrenia.
• To evaluate the effects of ondansetron on schizophrenia symptomatology, including cognitive, positive, and negative symptoms.
• To assess the impact on depression and overall symptom severity.

Main Methods:

• A two-arm randomized control trial involving 85 outpatients aged 18-65 with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
• Participants received either 8 mg/daily ondansetron or placebo, in addition to standard atypical antipsychotic treatment.
• Symptom severity was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) over 12 weeks.

Main Results:

• Adjunctive ondansetron significantly improved cognitive symptoms (p<0.05) as measured by the PANSS between baseline and week 12.
• A trend towards significance was observed for the overall PANSS scores (p=0.06) with ondansetron treatment.
• No significant differences were found in depression scores (MADRS) or other PANSS subscales between the groups.

Conclusions:

• This trial provides preliminary support for ondansetron as an adjunctive treatment for cognitive disorganization in schizophrenia.
• Ondansetron may specifically target and improve cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia.
• Further investigation is warranted to solidify ondansetron's role in schizophrenia management.