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The aim of the study was to assess changes in cortical thickness related to the use of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as add-on therapy in patients with first episode schizophrenia. A double-blind randomized controlled study was conducted using a 26-week intervention composed of concentrated fish oil containing 2.2g/d of eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or placebo (olive oil). Participants underwent MRI scanning twice to assess changes in cortical thickness: at the beginning and at the end of intervention. Data of suitable quality was obtained from 29 participants. The T1-weighted images for each participant were analyzed using FreeSurfer methodology for longitudinal pipeline. Significant differences in cortical thickness loss were observed between the groups in the parieto-occipital regions of Brodmann areas 7 and 19 of the left hemisphere, dysfunctions in which may be involved in schizophrenia symptomatology. The results of the study support the previous observations carried out in older individuals and patients with mild cognitive impairment, indicating that n-3 PUFA may have neuroprotective properties, especially at early stages of neurodegenerative diseases, such as schizophrenia. If replicated, the results of the present study may encourage clinicians to consider n-3 PUFA as a promising addition to antipsychotics for long-term treatment of schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cariprazine, a dopamine D3/D2 receptor partial agonist with preference for D3 receptors, has demonstrated efficacy in randomized controlled trials in schizophrenia. This multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of cariprazine for relapse prevention in adults with schizophrenia; total study duration was up to 97weeks. Schizophrenia symptoms were treated/stabilized with cariprazine 3-9mg/d during 20-week open-label treatment consisting of an 8-week, flexible-dose run-in phase and a 12-week fixed-dose stabilization phase. Stable patients who completed open-label treatment could be randomized to continued cariprazine (3, 6, or 9mg/d) or placebo for double-blind treatment (up to 72weeks). The primary efficacy parameter was time to relapse (worsening of symptom scores, psychiatric hospitalization, aggressive/violent behavior, or suicidal risk); clinical measures were implemented to ensure safety in case of impending relapse. A total of 264/765 patients completed open-label treatment; 200 eligible patients were randomized to double-blind placebo (n=99) or cariprazine (n=101). Time to relapse was significantly longer in cariprazine- versus placebo-treated patients (P=.0010, log-rank test). Relapse occurred in 24.8% of cariprazine- and 47.5% of placebo-treated patients (hazard ratio [95% CI]=0.45 [0.28, 0.73]). Akathisia (19.2%), insomnia (14.4%), and headache (12.0%) were reported in ≥10% of patients during open-label treatment; there were no cariprazine adverse events ≥10% during double-blind treatment. Long-term cariprazine treatment was significantly more effective than placebo for relapse prevention in patients with schizophrenia. The long-term safety profile in this study was consistent with the safety profile observed in previous cariprazine clinical trials. ClincalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01412060. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Relapse and acute exacerbation are common in schizophrenia and may impact treatment response and outcome. Evidence is conflicting in respect to superiority of long-acting injectable antipsychotic therapies versus oral antipsychotics in relapse prevention. This randomized controlled study assessed the efficacy of paliperidone palmitate versus oral antipsychotics for relapse prevention.Method: Eligible patients with a recent diagnosis of schizophrenia (within 1-5 years) were randomized 1:1 to paliperidone palmitate (n=376) or oral antipsychotic monotherapy (n=388) and entered a 2-week initial acute oral treatment phase. Patients who met predefined response criteria were eligible to enter the 24-month rater-blinded core treatment phase. Patients were evaluated for relapse, symptoms, functioning, quality of life, treatment satisfaction, and tolerability.Results: In the core treatment phase, time to relapse was significantly longer in the paliperidone palmitate (n=352) compared with the oral antipsychotics arm (n=363): 85% of patients were relapse-free at 469 versus 249 days (P=0.019). Significantly fewer patients receiving paliperidone palmitate met the relapse criteria (52 [14.8%] versus 76 [20.9%, oral antipsychotics]; P=0.032), representing a 29.4% relative risk reduction. For paliperidone palmitate, a significantly greater improvement in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total score on Day 8 (P=0.021) and a trend at endpoint (P=0.075) were observed. Functioning improvements were comparable between treatment arms. No new safety signals were identified.Conclusion: The observed time to relapse superiority of paliperidone palmitate over oral antipsychotics provides further evidence for the value of long-acting injectable antipsychotic therapies in the treatment of schizophrenia, including during the early stages of illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Worldwide, conventional antipsychotic medication continues to be used extensively, and tardive dyskinesia (TD) remains a serious complication. The primary objective of the present study was to compare the efficacy of EPA versus placebo in reducing symptoms of TD.Method: This was a 12-week, double-blinded, randomized study of ethyl-EPA 2g/day versus placebo as supplemental medication, in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, with established TD.Results: Eighty-four subjects were randomized, of whom 77 were included in the analysis. Both the EPA and placebo groups displayed significant baseline to endpoint improvements in Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale dyskinesia scores, but there were no significant between-group differences (p=0.4). Response rates (>or=30% improvement in TD symptoms) also did not differ significantly between EPA-treated subjects (45%) and placebo-treated subjects (32%) (p=0.6). However, a post-hoc linear mixed model repeated measures analysis of variance indicated an effect for treatment group and duration of TD. The EPA-treated patients had significantly greater mean reductions in dyskinesia scores initially, although this was not sustained beyond 6 weeks.Conclusions: This trial failed to demonstrate an anti-dyskinetic effect for ethyl-EPA 2g/day on the primary efficacy measure. However, a modest and transient benefit is suggested in patients with more recent onset of TD. The lack of clear-cut efficacy could be explained on the basis of the dose of EPA being too low, the study being underpowered, TD being too chronic in the majority of cases, differences in dietary fatty acid intake, or that EPA lacks an anti-dyskinetic action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]