The effect of risperidone on cognitive and psychopathological manifestations of schizophrenia

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of risperidone on the cognitive functioning of patients with schizophrenia and how it relates to the alleviation of psychopathological symptoms usually observed in patients receiving treatment. Twelve schizophrenic patients were evaluated while being treated with a traditional neuroleptic, and again approximately 8 and 24 weeks after initiation of risperidone. Patients were compared with a group of normal controls (n=24) who underwent the same cognitive evaluation across time. The normal control group was included to evaluate the level of impairments in patients, but also to test for practice effects. The cognitive evaluation included measures of short-term and long-term memory; attention (alertness, sustained and selective); and executive functioning (verbal and category fluency). Clinical symptoms were rated on the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Extrapyramidal symptoms were rated with the Extrapyramidal Symptoms Rating Scale. During treatment with risperidone, schizophrenic patients improved their BPRS and PANSS scores, their performance level on tests of alertness, and both sustained and selective attention.