Predictors of response to neuroleptic treatment in schizophrenia

Baseline symptom severity, early reduction in symptom severity, initial subjective response to neuroleptic treatment, the degree of brain atrophy, and early changes in pHVA levels appear to predict treatment outcome in schizophrenic patients. Computerized EEG results, neuropsychological and neurophysiologic tests, and baseline pHVA concentrations require further examination. Only a limited proportion of variance in treatment response, however, could be explained by either of the nine predictors alone or combined. Therefore, further research is necessary to discover yet unidentified determinants of treatment response. Future studies should test the validity and reliability of these five promising predictors in large groups of male and female patients, employ high standards for assessment reliability of clinical parameters, and use absolute rating scores on psychopathology as well as functional scales for the definition of good and poor treatment response. Furthermore, the statistical approach for data analysis should take in consideration the need for appropriate corrections when multiple correlations are performed and should test the extent to which these predictors are interdependent.