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Carolina Pelegrini Barbosa Gracitelli,1 Fabiana Benites Vaz de Lima,2,3 Rodrigo A Bressan,2,3 Augusto Paranhos Junior1 1Department of Ophthalmology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil; 2LiNC – Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Cognition, Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil; 3PROESQ – Schizophrenia Program, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil Purpose: We sought to evaluate the visual pathway deficits in schizophrenic patients, compared with their parents and healthy controls, using Matrix frequency doubling technology (FDT) perimetry. Matrix FDT is an ophthalmic test used to detect visual field loss. Method: A total of 13 patients, 13 parents, and 12 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Participants were subjected to Matrix FDT perimetry in a single test session. We analyzed the mean deviation for each eye and used a generalized estimated equation to evaluate differences among the groups and correct the dependency between the eyes. Results: The global mean deviation (presented as the mean of both eyes) was significantly lower in the schizophrenic patients than in their parents or controls. Analysis of the general sensitivity of the fibers crossing the optic chiasm showed a difference between the groups (P = 0.006), indicating that the sensitivity of the fibers crossing the optic chiasm was lower than those which did not cross. But when we analyzed the specific groups, the difference between the fibers was not considerable. Comparison of the right and left hemispheres showed that general sensitivity was lower for the left hemisphere, but when we analyzed specific groups, the difference was not significant (P = 0.29). Conclusion: These findings are suggestive of a lower global sensitivity in schizophrenic patients and their parents compared with controls. This difference may be an endophenotype of schizophrenia. The present study adds to a growing body of research on early-stage visual processing deficits in schizophrenia. Keywords: schizophrenic patients, visual processing, endophenotype, frequency doubling technology

Mário Rodrigues Louzã1, Helio Elkis1, Sandra Ruschel2, Irismar Reis de Oliveira3, Rodrigo Affonseca Bressan4, Paulo Belmonte-de-Abreu5, Hamilton Grabowski6, José Carlos Appolinário71Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo; 2Hospital Mário Kroeff, Rio de Janeiro; 3Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador; 4Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo; 5Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre; 6Hospital Bom Retiro, Curitiba; 7Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Ltda, São Paulo, BrazilBackground: Long-acting injectable antipsychotics may improve medication adherence, thereby improving overall treatment effectiveness. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of risperidone long-acting injection in schizophrenic patients switched from oral antipsychotic medication.Methods: In a 12-month, multicenter, open-label, noncomparative study, symptomatically stable patients on oral antipsychotic medication with poor treatment adherence during the previous 12 months received intramuscular injections of risperidone long-acting injection (25 mg starting dose) every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score.Results: Of the 60 patients who were screened, 53 received at least one injection (safety population), and 51 provided at least one postbaseline assessment. Mean PANSS total scores improved significantly throughout the study and at endpoint. Significant improvements were also observed in Clinical Global Impression of Severity, Personal and Social Performance, and Drug Attitude Inventory scales. Risperidone long-acting injection was safe and well-tolerated. Severity of movement disorders on the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale was reduced significantly. The most frequently reported adverse events were insomnia (22.6%), increased prolactin (17.0%), and weight gain (13.2%).Conclusion: Risperidone long-acting injection was associated with significant symptomatic improvements in stable patients with schizophrenia following a switch from previous antipsychotic medications.Keywords: patient compliance, adherence, risperidone, delayed-action preparations, schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: We wished to assess the effect of three types of medication on verbal memory impairments in schizophrenia. METHOD: Forty-eight patients with schizophrenia and 40 healthy control subjects underwent a battery of verbal memory tasks, including free recall, recognition and short-term memory span. All the patients were on antipsychotic medication. In addition, 24 were taking anticholinergic drugs (benztropine) and 30 were taking benzodiazepines. A subsample of 39 had clinical ratings for depressive symptoms. Regression analyses were conducted on the memory measures in this subsample, with negative symptoms, depression, type of antipsychotic medication (conventional v. atypical), benzodiazepines and anticholinergic drugs as predictors. RESULTS: Type of antipsychotic medication made no significant contribution to memory deficits and benzodiazepine use made very little contribution. However, anticholinergic medication was a predictor of memory impairment, especially with regard to semantic organization. Complementary analyses revealed that patients taking any type of drug with anticholinergic activity (benztropine and/or antipsychotic agents) were significantly impaired relative to the other patients on measures reflecting free recall efficiency and semantic organization. CONCLUSIONS: Drugs with anticholinergic activity are the major pharmacological agents that contribute to the verbal memory deficit observed in patients with schizophrenia. These drugs appear to act by impeding semantic organization at encoding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]