EFFECTS OF FOLIC ACID AND VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENTATION ON NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS AND RELATED MRI INDICES

Autor: Noah J. Silverstein, Eric A. Macklin, Lisa Raeke, Michele Hill, Eric D. Achtyes, Donald C. Goff, Joshua L. Roffman, Jordan W. Smoller, Gail C. Galendez, Alexandra S. Tanner, Steven J. Lamberti, New Fei Ho
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Schizophrenia Research. 153:S80
ISSN: 0920-9964
Popis: patients treated with stable doses of antipsychotics were randomly assigned to two groups that received an infusion of either sodium nitroprusside or placebo for four hours. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed at baseline and every hour during the infusion with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the negative subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale (PANNS-n). Additional assessments were made 12 hours after the infusion, daily for seven days, and weekly for four weeks. Cognitive tests (Stroop Color Word Test, N-back, and FAS) were administered at baseline and 12 hours after the end of the infusion. No side effects were reported by the participants. All the clinical and demographic characteristics of the sample including age, education, duration of disease, gender, diagnostic subtype, and type of antipsychotic in use were matched across groups. Symptom ratings were significantly reduced in the group treated with sodium nitroprusside, but not in the placebo group. Cognitive performance was also significantly improved in the nitroprusside group compared to placebo. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding the physiological parameters analyzed (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cardiac rhythm, and oxygen saturation). The strategy of treating schizophrenia patients for four hours with 0,5 mcg/kg/min sodium nitroprusside improved psychopathology and cognitive function. Our findings support the hypothesis that the NMDA-NO-GMPc pathway is affected in schizophrenia and that nitric oxide donors such as sodium nitroprusside could thus be a promising approach in the management of the disorder. Although exciting, these results are preliminary and must be replicated by future studies.
Databáze: OpenAIRE