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Background. The goal of this review is to summarize the results of head to head efficacy studies that compare second generation antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia and related disorders. Methods. A literature search through the Medline database and Google was conducted. Articles published up to September 2005 were included. Abstracts from conference papers and posters were not included. Results. Randomized controlled trial data on possible differences in efficacy among atypical antipsychotics are limited. Moreover, the comparison is difficult, as studies differ in outcome measures. The results indicate that first-line second-generation antipsychotics (amisulpride, aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, ziprasidone and zotepine) show comparable efficacy. Conclusion. Possible new studies should focus on long-term effects, including cost-effectiveness, quality of life, social functioning and service utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIndividuals recovering from COVID-19 may experience persistent impairment in verbal memory performance, potentially due to illness-related hippocampal injury. Although verbal memory dysfunction is central to schizophrenia, the interactions between this vulnerability and COVID-19 remain unclear, with no imaging studies addressing the issue to-date. To explore this gap and generate hypotheses for future research, we adopted a multiple case study approach. Two pairs of individuals with an ICD-10 diagnosis of schizophrenia were selected, each consisting of one case with a positive COVID-19 anamnesis and one without. We calculated the Reliable Change Index to estimate the clinical significance of verbal memory performance changes, with annualized change rates in hippocampal volumes assessed against normative data. Compared to their matches, COVID-19 positive cases did not show mutually consistent changes in verbal memory performance: one case experienced a significant decline in verbal memory and learning, while the other showed a general normalization of test scores. Left hippocampal volumes showed a comparatively slowed increase, while the right hippocampi decreased in volume, although these atrophy rates did not exceed those expected in general population samples. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that COVID-19 alone does not lead to verbal memory decline in schizophrenia. Instead, the relationship between the diseases may depend on additional factors. Our case pairs differed in body mass index, systolic blood pressure, sex, phase of illness, and whole grey matter volume trajectories, leading us to hypothesize that these variables represent additional predictors or moderators of this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnosis of schizophrenia has been traditionally linked to symptoms that can be described broadly as a disruption of the basic sense of self. These symptoms encompass, for example, symptoms of passivity as in the case of delusion of control, thought withdrawal, or auditory hallucinations, i.e. symptoms in which patients excessively over-attribute their own activity to some external forces. In general, these symptoms are characterized by the disturbance of the demarcation between self and others. Recent accounts underline the fact that, similarly to other traits or mental illnesses, symptoms of schizophrenia are present on a continuum. Thus, they can be found in the general population. Due to their genetic underpinnings, these traits are often more pronounced in unaffected relatives of schizophrenia patients. This review analyzes self-disturbances as a potential endophenotype of schizophrenia, which is expressed on a continuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deficits in memory performance have been linked to a wide range of neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. While many studies have assessed the memory impacts of individual conditions, this study considers a broader perspective by evaluating how memory recall is differentially associated with nine common neuropsychiatric conditions using data drawn from 55 international studies, aggregating 15,883 unique participants aged 15-90. The effects of dementia, mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, stroke, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder on immediate, short-, and long-delay verbal learning and memory (VLM) scores were estimated relative to matched healthy individuals. Random forest models identified age, years of education, and site as important VLM covariates. A Bayesian harmonization approach was used to isolate and remove site effects. Regression estimated the adjusted association of each clinical group with VLM scores. Memory deficits were strongly associated with dementia and schizophrenia ( p < 0.001), while neither depression nor ADHD showed consistent associations with VLM scores ( p > 0.05). Differences associated with clinical conditions were larger for longer delayed recall duration items. By comparing VLM across clinical conditions, this study provides a foundation for enhanced diagnostic precision and offers new insights into disease management of comorbid disorders.