The effects of clozapine on symptom reduction, neurocognitive function, and clinical management in treatment-refractory state hospital schizophrenic inpatients

Thirty chronically hospitalized, refractory schizophrenic patients were evaluated while on typical neuroleptics and again after 12 weeks of clozapine treatment. Patients demonstrated small but statistically significant reductions in total Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) symptoms, need for seclusion and restraint, and PRN medications, and they frequently were transferred to a less restrictive treatment environment. Neuropsychological test data from a subset of patients suggested improvement on measures of verbal fluency and graphomotor speed, but deterioration on measures of visual memory and executive/frontal ability. Clozapine's different effects on multiple neurotransmitter systems may be responsible for its mixed effects on cognitive abilities. No significant relationships were found between symptom reduction, cognitive improvement, and transfer to a less restrictive environment.