Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that the cholinergic system is involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Donepezil, a central cholinesterase inhibitor, improves psychotic symptomatology in demented patients, however, evidence for its role in the management of active psychosis in schizophrenia remains limited. An 18-week double blind cross-over study was conducted in which eight patients were randomly assigned to either donepezil (5 mg/day for the first 4 weeks and 10 mg/day for the following 4 weeks) or placebo as augmentation treatment to clozapine. After this initial phase, there was a 2-week washout period of the study medication after which the same regimen was crossed over at the same dose and for the same period (8 weeks). No significant difference was noted in the total positive and negative symptom scale scores when donepezil was compared with placebo (16.7%+12.97% vs 3.20%+13.94% respectively, p = 0.18). However, three patients improved (>15%) in the total PANSS scores (37.03%, 16.6% and 25.33%) during the donepezil treatment phase, while only one patient improved (20.87%) during the placebo phase. No differences were noted in the Calgary depression scale (p = 0.305), Simpson Angus scale (p = 0.374), clinical global ...Continue Reading
Citations
Dec 12, 2012·European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience·M R WilliamsM Maier
Aug 11, 2007·Cognitive Neuropsychiatry·Christian G KohlerRuben C Gur
Jul 21, 2007·Schizophrenia Bulletin·Robert W BuchananJeffrey A Lieberman
Sep 13, 2011·European Neuropsychopharmacology : the Journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology·Stefano PorcelliAlessandro Serretti
Oct 7, 2014·Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy·Maria Rosaria A MuscatelloRocco Zoccali
Jan 20, 2012·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·Jasvinder SinghMahesh B Jayaram
Oct 17, 2018·Journal of Psychopharmacology·Borja SantosJavier Ballesteros
Feb 3, 2007·Clinical Neuropharmacology·Birgitte FagerlundBirte Y Glenthøj
Apr 28, 2006·Current Opinion in Psychiatry·Peter F Buckley, Nitin Shendarkar
Dec 7, 2007·International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry·Paul E HoltzheimerWilliam M McDonald
Jun 16, 2005·Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·John G CsernanskyHongxin Dong
Mar 20, 2010·CNS Drugs·Salma R I RibeizCássio M C Bottino
Dec 6, 2006·Molecular Psychiatry·T J RaedlerB Dean
Jan 23, 2009·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·Adib EssaliJohn Rathbone
Mar 24, 2017·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·Sarah BarberAndrea Cipriani
Jan 18, 2021·Schizophrenia Research·Mattia CampanaElias Wagner
Feb 2, 2021·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience·Paul J FitzgeraldBrendon O Watson