Clinical effects of apomorphine in schizophrenia.
There have been reports that low doses of the dopamine-agonist apomorphine, which may inhibit dopamine neurotransmission, are of therapeutic benefit in schizophrenia. We conducted a placebo-controlled study of acute and chronic schizophrenics in which videotaped interviews were blindly rated. No specific therapeutic effect was demonstrated for apomorphine other than a reduction in anxiety in acute schizophrenics. Furthermore, there was no difference in the frequency of side-effects of apomorphine between schizophrenic patients and controls, and no specific effect of apomorphine on blink-rates. These findings emphasize the importance of placebo-controlled studies in schizophrenia research.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001767:Blinking / Q000187:drug effects; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
D001058:Apomorphine