title: Effects of Add-on Ramelteon on Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Schizophrenia: An Open-label Pilot Trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This open-label study examined the effects of ramelteon on cognitive functions in 10 outpatients with schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ramelteon (8 mg/day) was administered to 10 patients with schizophrenia for six months. The verbal fluency test, Trail-Making Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Stroop Test, the Digit Span Distraction Test, Iowa Gambling Task, the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test were evaluated at baseline and 6 months after treatment with ramelteon.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ramelteon improved significantly the scores of Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Additionally, ramelteon exerted improvements in the verbal fluency and Iowa Gambling Task in 4 patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ramelteon could be a potential therapeutic drug, in adjunctive treatment of learning and memory deficits seen in patients with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shirayama
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Japan.
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Japan.
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuruoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
keywords: Ramelteon; Schizophrenia; Verbal learning