The second-generation antipsychotics may not change the compromised neurobiology that underlies cognitive deficits.
Are the cognitive benefits claimed by manufacturers of second-generation antipsychotics an artificial result of repetitive practice in test conditions?
That's what a randomized trial of risperidone and olanzapine comparing cognitive improvements among first-episode schizophrenia patients and healthy controls suggests. Risperidone is marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutica as Risperdal, and olanzapine is marketed by Eli Lilly and Co. as Zyprexa.
The study, reported in the October Archives of General Psychiatry, found that the cognitive improvements among patients were consistent in magnitude with the "practice effects"—the effects of exposure, familiarity, and procedural learning that naturally occur in test conditions—seen in healthy patients.
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Wednesday, November 21, 2007
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