title: Atypical antipsychotics do not reverse prepulse inhibition deficits in acutely psychotic schizophrenia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of atypical antipsychotics on prepulse inhibition, startle response and habituation in acutely psychotic patients with schizophrenia, and investigate whether prepulse inhibition deficit improvements are a result of the direct impact of atypical  antipsychotics or improvements in antipsychotic-related symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prepulse inhibition, habituation and acoustic startle response were evaluated in healthy control subjects and patients with schizophrenia (either unmedicated with antipsychotics at the time of hospitalization or medicated  with atypical antipsychotics for ≥1 month before hospitalization).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data were analysed for 26 patients in the unmedicated group, 20 patients in the medicated group and 31 control subjects. Compared with controls, both medicated and unmedicated patients showed prepulse inhibition  deficits; however, there were no significant differences between the two patient groups. Lower prepulse inhibition levels were correlated with higher levels of positive, negative, general and total scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that  effects of atypical antipsychotics on prepulse inhibition may not be evident when patients with schizophrenia are acutely symptomatic, and do not directly influence prepulse inhibition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Y-Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: H-N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Q-R
authors.initials: QR
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000187:drug effects*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D055139:Sensory Gating / Q000187:drug effects*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents