title: Mirtazapine augmentation enhances cognitive and reduces negative symptoms in schizophrenia patients treated with risperidone: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: This preliminary study aimed to determine if adding mirtazapine to risperidone might improve negative and cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia. In an 8-week, double-blind clinical trial, we randomly assigned 21 stabilized outpatients with schizophrenia undergoing risperidone treatment to adjunctive treatment with either mirtazapine or a placebo. The mirtazapine group exhibited a statistically significant improvement in cognitive function, including vocabulary and immediate memory, and negative symptoms (as measured by negative symptom scales) and showed an adverse effect of 5.83 kg mean weight gain. This study suggests augmenting risperidone with mirtazapine can effectively improve both negative and some cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, 351 Yatap-Dong, Bundang-Gu, Seongnam-Si, Kyounggi-Do 463-712, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Keunyoung
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yook
authors.forename: Borah
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tai Kiu
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Kang Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yong Woo
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shinyoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Ki Hwan
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yook
authors.forename: Sang-Hyuk
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008803:Mianserin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D000078785:Mirtazapine; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018967:Risperidone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D008803:Mianserin; D000078785:Mirtazapine; D018967:Risperidone