Schizophrenia | Top 30 novel treatment findings

Clozapine reduces substance use disorder risk in schizophrenia patients.

Clozapine and antipsychotic polytherapy were associated with significantly lower risks of developing initial SUDs and reduced rates of psychiatric hospitalization among patients with schizophrenia.

Study published: 2022-02-09

Clozapine dosage predicts serum levels in schizophrenia patients

The study found that clozapine dose and serum levels were positively correlated, with a predictive model explaining 43.6% of the variance in serum levels. This model can help clinicians prescribe appropriate doses to avoid levels above the optimal range.

Study published: 2022-01-03

COVID-19 vaccination improves decision-making in schizophrenia patients.

The study found that 56.3% of the schizophrenia patients assessed had diminished mental capacity to consent to vaccination, which was associated with lower vaccination rates and poorer cognitive performance.

Study published: 2022-01-12

Paliperidone palmitate effective for schizophrenia

At follow-up assessment, all participants were classified as being in remission, indicating a positive clinical outcome from the treatment with paliperidone palmitate.

Study published: 2022-01-28

Bespoke smoking cessation intervention improves quitting rates in individuals with severe mental illness

At 3 years, 16.5% of participants were confirmed non-smokers, with some short-term improvements in physical health noted, although no sustained differences in nicotine dependence or motivation to quit were observed between groups.

Study published: 2024-06-04

Genetic factors influence clozapine response

Higher schizophrenia-PRS and genotype-predicted CYP2C19 enzyme activity were independently associated with lower symptom severity among individuals treated with clozapine. Patients in the highest schizophrenia-PRS tertile had a 1.94 times increased probability of low symptom severity compared to those in the lowest tertile.

Study published: 2021-06-07

High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation reduces auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia patients.

Patients receiving TRUE HD-tDCS showed significant improvement in auditory hallucination scores compared to those receiving SHAM stimulation. Follow-up assessments indicated that patients who transitioned from SHAM to TRUE HD-tDCS experienced notable reductions in AH severity, suggesting potential long-term benefits of the treatment.

Study published: 2023-05-11

AI improves schizophrenia treatment selection

The study found that the identified subgroup of patients showed a significantly larger treatment effect with paliperidone compared to placebo, with a Cohen's d of 1.22 for the subgroup versus 0.82 for the full sample, indicating improved outcomes in the targeted group.

Study published: 2021-03-13

Novel method links genes to psychiatric disorders

The MR-GSE method significantly increased the detection of gene set signals (2,594) compared to traditional methods (286), suggesting a more robust approach to understanding the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders and identifying potential treatment avenues.

Study published: 2024-04-15

Dietary changes reduce psychiatric symptoms in severe mental illness.

The study found a significant positive correlation between faecal amino acid levels and psychiatric symptom severity, suggesting that dietary modifications could improve mental health outcomes.

Study published: 2021-12-02

Clozapine improves outcomes in treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients.

Clozapine is associated with improved treatment adherence, reduced psychiatric hospital admissions, and decreased suicidal ideation in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. The study found that understanding ancestral differences in metabolism can enhance treatment outcomes.

Study published: 2022-09-25

Anti-inflammatory medications reduce schizophrenia symptoms in resistant patients.

The study identifies 196 genes associated with schizophrenia risk, with 61 candidate genes retained after validation. It highlights IRF3 as a novel schizophrenia risk gene and suggests that anti-inflammatory treatments may provide therapeutic benefits, particularly for treatment-resistant patients.

Study published: 2024-07-12

Psychosocial interventions for psychosis effective

Positive outcomes include reduced relapse rates, improved symptoms of psychosis, enhanced functioning, and decreased caregiver burden. The multicomponent community-based intervention (MCBI) showed the most promise in terms of implementation readiness and clinical outcomes.

Study published: 2023-03-10

Spirituality aids mental health recovery

Patients experience improved self-awareness, self-efficacy, and a greater sense of meaning in life, leading to enhanced psychological well-being and quality of life.

Study published: 2022-10-21

Men with schizophrenia improve medication adherence and quality of life.

Improved medication adherence leads to better management of symptoms, reduced hospitalizations, and enhanced quality of life for patients with schizophrenia.

Study published: 2022-01-17

Family support improves schizophrenia care

Positive outcomes include reduced caregiver burden, improved quality of life for caregivers, enhanced family coping strategies, and better overall management of the patient's condition through increased family involvement and support.

Study published: 2022-01-14

Speech disturbances linked to social cognition

Improvements in disorganized speech were associated with enhancements in both emotion processing and mentalization, indicating a potential pathway for therapeutic interventions.

Study published: 2022-03-21

Clozapine reduces suicide risk and improves outcomes in treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Clozapine is associated with reduced suicide ideation and action, aggression, substance use, and all-cause mortality, making it a critical treatment option for TRS.

Study published: 2024-04-10

COVID-19 vaccination increases willingness among individuals with schizophrenia

Individuals with schizophrenia showed a higher willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 compared to the general population, despite lower actual vaccination rates.

Study published: 2022-01-17

Psychoeducation improves schizophrenia outcomes

Significant reductions in positive symptoms (from 25.00 to 21.05), negative symptoms (from 17.44 to 15.74), and general psychopathological symptoms (from 43.40 to 38.32) were observed. Increased motivation levels were noted, particularly in low-income patients.

Study published: 2022-07-05

Rare variants affect clozapine metabolism

The study found that rare damaging coding variants in genes related to drug pharmacokinetics are associated with lower plasma concentrations of clozapine, suggesting that understanding these variants can help personalize clozapine therapy and improve treatment outcomes.

Study published: 2023-03-17

Olanzapine causes hypertriglyceridemia in schizophrenia patients and mice.

Olanzapine treatment significantly increased plasma triglyceride levels and decreased plasma apoA5 levels in both schizophrenic patients and mice, demonstrating a clear link between olanzapine use and hypertriglyceridemia.

Study published: 2021-03-01

Diazepam normalizes hippocampal blood flow

Following diazepam administration, rCBF in the hippocampus and its subfields was significantly reduced and normalized to levels observed in healthy controls, indicating a potential therapeutic effect in CHR-P individuals.

Study published: 2024-01-04

Antipsychotics improve brain connectivity in first-episode schizophrenia patients.

Responders exhibited stronger cortico-cortical connectivity and higher network integration compared to nonresponders, indicating positive effects of APMs on brain architecture.

Study published: 2021-01-20

Probiotics reduce metabolic issues from antipsychotics

Probiotics significantly reduced the increase in fasting insulin and insulin resistance compared to olanzapine monotherapy, although weight gain was not significantly affected.

Study published: 2021-02-19

tDCS improves cognition in schizophrenia

Active tDCS resulted in a significant reduction in the N40 TEP amplitude in the left parietal occipital region, indicating modulation of neurophysiological targets related to cognitive impairment.

Study published: 2022-03-04

Early antipsychotic intervention improves semantic similarity in first episode schizophrenia.

Increased semantic similarity in discourse over time, indicating improved cognitive control and tracking of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Patients showed a linear increase in semantic similarity compared to healthy controls.

Study published: 2021-10-01

5-HT2A antagonists and beta-blockers improve akathisia severity in schizophrenia patients.

5-HT2A antagonists and beta-blockers showed potential in improving akathisia severity, while benzodiazepines and vitamin B6 might also be beneficial, although with lower confidence in the evidence.

Study published: 2024-03-08

Truncal vagotomy increases schizophrenia risk

The study found that truncal vagotomy significantly increased the risk of developing schizophrenia by 69%, suggesting a potential link between vagal function impairment and schizophrenia.

Study published: 2024-04-04

Second-generation antipsychotics worsen metabolic health in schizophrenia patients.

The study clarified the long-term, dose-dependent metabolic and anthropometric effects of different SGAs, providing insights that may inform clinical decisions regarding SGA prescriptions for schizophrenia patients.

Study published: 2024-05-09