NR244
Monday, May 23, 03:00 p.m.-05:00 p.m.

Cognitive Function in Schizophrenia: Effects of Quetiapine and Risperidone

Philip D. Harvey, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, 1425 Madison Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10029; Martin Brecher, M.D., Dennis Sweitzer, M.D., Kate Zhong, M.D.

Educational Objectives:
At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant should be able to recognize the relationship between improvements in cognitive functioning following treatment with atypical antipsychotics, such as quetiapine and risperidone, and improved social skills.

Summary:
Objectives: Quetiapine has been reported to have beneficial effects on cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia. As part of an efficacy and tolerability study, the effects of quetiapine or risperidone treatment on cognitive functioning and social skills performance were examined in patients with schizophrenia.
Methods: This was an eight-week, double-blind, flexible-dose, parallel study. Patients with schizophrenia were randomized to quetiapine (200-800 mg/day) or risperidone (2-8 mg/day). Cognitive assessments (attention, memory, verbal fluency and executive function) and a social skills performance-based measure were conducted at baseline and endpoint.
Results: Of 673 patients randomized, 134 quetiapine- and 155 risperidone-treated patients had data available at both baseline and endpoint. The mean modal dose (SD) was 530 (288) mg/day and 5 (2) mg/day for quetiapine and risperidone, respectively. A multivariate analysis of variance found both medications were associated with overall improvements in cognitive functioning (p<0.01) versus baseline, with no significant differences between the two treatments (p=0.84). Significant improvements in social skills performance in both groups (p<0.01) were correlated with improvements in executive functioning (quetiapine r=0.33, risperidone r=0.36; both p<0.01)
Conclusions: Treatment with either quetiapine or risperidone is associated with improvement in social skills performance. Furthermore, these improvements were linked to improvements in cognitive functioning.

References:
1. Purdon SE, Malla A, Labelle A, Lit W: Neuropsychological change in patients with schizophrenia after treatment with quetiapine or haloperidol. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2001; 26:137-149.
2. Velligan DI, Newcomer J, Pultz J, Csernansky J, Hoff AL, Mahurin R, Miller AL: Does cognitive function improve with quetiapine in comparison to haloperidol? Schizophr Res 2002; 53:239-248.