Agmatine is an endogenous NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) antagonist which is synthesized from L-Argi... more Agmatine is an endogenous NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) antagonist which is synthesized from L-Arginine and described as a novel neurotransmitter. Agmatine is considered to play an important role for the development of schizophrenia. The aim of the present study is to explore the role of agmatine and L-arginine metabolism in medication-naive first-episode psychosis (FEP). We conducted a case control study in medication-naive patients with FEP (n = 40). The healthy volunteers with no family history of schizophrenia (n = 35) matched for age, gender and education level were selected as a control group. The patients were recruited to the study and followed up for 10 weeks. The plasma L-arginine, L-citrulline, L-ornithine and agmatine levels were measured using modified liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. The plasma levels of L-arginine, L-citrulline and agmatine (p b 0.0001), but not L-ornithine and agmatinase (p N 0.05), were significantly increased during baseline analysis. After 10 weeks of treatment, plasma L-arginine and L-citrulline levels were still significantly increased (p b 0.05) while L-ornithine and agmatinase levels remained unchanged (p N 0.05). Conversely, plasma agmatine levels were significantly decreased after the treatment (p b 0.0001). Positive and negative predictive values of agmatine used for evaluating the diagnostic accuracy were 95.1% and 97.1%, respectively (p b 000.1). This is the first study of arginine metabolism and agmatine in medication-naive first-episode patients and provides evidence of increased levels of an endogenous NMDA antagonist which decreases following antipsychotic treatment.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common, often chronic and disabling disorder ... more Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common, often chronic and disabling disorder with high rates of partial and/or absent response to standard, recommended treatments. We report a case of treatment-resistant OCD that was successfully treated with a pharmacological augmentation of lamotrigine plus clomipramine. The patient, a 59-year-old woman, was on a stable dose of clomipramine (225 mg/day) when she was started on lamotrigine (up to 150 mg/day). After 10 weeks of this treatment, her clinical condition remarkably improved, as indicated by a significant decrease of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. This case suggests some preliminary evidence that the addition of glutamatergic agent lamotrigine may be useful in treatment-resistant OCD. However, further controlled studies are needed to support this finding.
Background: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of smoking and substance abuse in outpat... more Background: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of smoking and substance abuse in outpatients with schizophrenia, and to determine the relationship between smoking status and sociodemographic/clinical characteristics of schizophrenia. Methods: One hundred and thirty-six schizophrenic outpatients were assessed by the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV (SCID) and brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS). Demographic and treatment variables were obtained from case records and interviews with patients and their family members. Results: The frequency of smoking among schizophrenic patients was 50%. However, the rate of substance abuse was 5.2%. We found no statistically significant differences between the smoker and the non-smoker patients on the demographic variables of age, sex, marital status, and employment status. There was no significant difference between the groups on BPRS scores. However, smokers were receiving a higher daily dose of neuroleptic than non-smokers. Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking among schizophrenic patients was similar to the rates found in Western cultures. However, the prevalence of substance abuse was lower in Turkish patients as compared with patients in the Western population.
The prevalence of alexithymia among male alcoholic cases in a clinical sample from the Turkish po... more The prevalence of alexithymia among male alcoholic cases in a clinical sample from the Turkish population and the relationship between alexithymia and clinical characteristics of alcoholics were studied. Participants were 56 males with alcohol dependence. Alcohol dependence was diagnosed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), Turkish version. Alexithymia was screened using the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Almost 42% of the patients with alcoholism had a score greater than 60 on the TAS-20, and were therefore considered as alexithymic. The alexithymic patients were found to have a lower level of education and poor economic status. In addition, the severity of alcoholism and duration of alcohol use has been shown to be associated with alexithymia. These results suggest that there was a strong connection between alexithymia and alcoholism. However, the prevalence of alexithymia was not different in Turkish alcoholic men compared with Western alcoholic men.
DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals. ... Title: Anxiety Disorders in a Nonclinical Male Sample... more DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals. ... Title: Anxiety Disorders in a Nonclinical Male Sample With Joint Hypermobility Syndrome. ... Abstract: Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine of anxiety disorders at cases of joint hyper-mobility syndrome (JHS) without Mitral ...
American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 2009
It is hypothesized that molecular components of dopaminergic system, especially the dopamine D3 r... more It is hypothesized that molecular components of dopaminergic system, especially the dopamine D3 receptor gene (DRD3), may play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, because it is abundant in the limbic system of the brain and it binds antipsychotic drugs. Several groups attempted to find an association between a serine-to-glycine polymorphism of the DRD3 gene (Ser9Gly) and schizophrenia; however, the results were inconsistent. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship of the Serine/Glycine polymorphism of the DRD3 gene with therapeutic response to clozapine treatment between Turkish schizophrenia patients (N ¼ 92) and healthy controls (N ¼ 100). Genotype groups were comparable in BPRS, SAPS, SANS analysis of response to clozapine. Our results suggest that an association between the Ser/Gly polymorphism of DRD3 gene and response to clozapine in Turkish schizophrenia patients is unlikely to exist.
Objective:The prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in patients with borderline personalit... more Objective:The prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) is unidentified. We hypothesised that BDD would be more common than realised in patients with BPD and comorbidity with BDD would result in a more severe clinical profile. Also, childhood trauma may play a predictive role in this association.Methods:The study included 70 BPD in-patients and 70 matched healthy controls. The subjects were evaluated with a comprehensive assessment battery using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II) diagnostic tool for BDD, Global Assessment of Functioning, Traumatic Experiences Checklist and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.Results:The prevalence of BDD was 54.3% in the borderline sample. The BPD patients with BDD had significantly lower overall functioning and higher levels of BPD pathology, childhood traumatic experiences, suicide atte...
Objective: There is some evidence that acute episode of psychosis is characterized by immune alte... more Objective: There is some evidence that acute episode of psychosis is characterized by immune alterations, but there are conflicting results about this issue. The aim of this study was to determine whether serum haptoglobin and neopterin concentrations in patients with first episode psychosis are different from those in control subjects. Methods: Forty-six male patients with first episode psychosis and 52 healthy subjects were included in this study. Psychotic symptoms were assessed by using the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). All patients were drug naive, and serum neopterin and haptoglobin concentrations were measured. Results: We found that in the first episode psychosis group, serum neopterin concentrations were higher than in the control group. However, there was no difference between the two groups in terms of serum haptoglobin concentrations. It was found t...
Studies that have focused on the mitochondrial electron transport chain indicate that bipolar dis... more Studies that have focused on the mitochondrial electron transport chain indicate that bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with pathology in mitochondrial function. These pathological processes occur in the brain circuits that regulate affective functions, emotions, and motor behaviors. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between mitochondrial complex dysfunction and BD. The BD group included 32 male patients diagnosed with first-episode manic BD. The control group included 35 sociodemographically matched healthy males. Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) was isolated from peripheral blood samples obtained from the patients and control group, and the mRNA levels of the NDUFV1, NDUFV2, and NDUFS1 genes of mitochondrial complex I and the UQCR10 gene of mitochondrial complex III were investigated. Significant differences were identified in complex I gene mRNA levels between the BD group (n=32) and the control group (n=35) for the following genes: NDUFV1 (P=0.01), NDUFV2 (P<0.01), and NDUFS1 (P=0.02). The UQCR10 gene (complex III) mRNA level did not differ between the groups (P=0.1). The mRNA levels of the four genes studied were lower at the 3-month follow-up; however, these differences were not significant (P>0.05). All of the BD patients were in manic episodes; thus, we were unable to separately compare these levels with those during depressive and euthymic episodes. The mRNA levels of all of the genes representing the subunits of mitochondrial complex I (NDUFV1, NDUFV2, and NDUFS1) were significantly higher in the present study's BD patients during manic episodes than in the controls. With the data obtained from further research, biomarkers that could be used for the diagnosis and follow-up of neuropsychiatric disorders may be discovered.
The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 2009
Suicide attempt is a universally observed human behavior related to bio-psychological, social and... more Suicide attempt is a universally observed human behavior related to bio-psychological, social and cultural factors. While some studies have suggested that specific demographic/cultural and clinical variables are associated with suicide attempts in schizophrenia, these associations are often inconsistent. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between socio-demographic and clinical variables and suicidal behavior in a sample of patients diagnosed as having schizophrenia in Turkey. Three hundred patients with a SCID-I diagnosis of schizophrenia were studied. The sample was subdivided into two groups based on the presence or absence of lifetime suicide attempts. The main demographic and clinical variables retrospectively collected were analyzed and compared between the two groups. The results of present study revealed that the subjects who had and had not attempted suicide did not differ with respect to demographic variables. The suicide attempters tend to ha...
Norotoksik bir madde olan toluenin kotuye kullanimi norolojik ve psikiyatrik komplikasyonlara ned... more Norotoksik bir madde olan toluenin kotuye kullanimi norolojik ve psikiyatrik komplikasyonlara neden olmaktadir. Ancak, bazi is kollarinda calisan ve uzun sure toluen etkisinde kalan kisilerde de benzer etkiler olusabilmektedir. Goruntuleme calismalarinda, kronik toluen entoksikasyonu sonucu beyin hacminde kuculme ve yaygin madde degisiklikleri meydana geldigi bulunmustur. Beyinde olusan yapisal degisikliklere bagli olarak ilerleyici norolojik ve psikiyatrik belirtilerin ortaya ciktigi gosterilmistir. Bu yazida, isyerinde sekiz yil sureyle toluen etkisinde kalan, korpus kallozum nekrozu gelisen ve ilerleyici psikiyatrik belirtilerle seyreden bir olgu sunulmustur. Anahtar kelimeler: toluen entoksikasyonu, korpus kallozum, psikiyatrik belirtiler Abuse of toluene, which is a neurotoxic substance, causes neurological and psychiatric complications. Similar complications may also be seen in people who are exposed to toluene long term in some industries. Decrease of brain volume and generalised substance changes in brain have been found in imaging studies. Progressive neurological and psychiatric changes have been shown to be due to these changes. In this article, a subject was presented who was exposed to toluene at the workshop for 8 years and has suffered corpus callosum necrosis with progressive psychiatric symptoms.
The focus of this study was the systematic evaluation of the clinical effects of the extract of g... more The focus of this study was the systematic evaluation of the clinical effects of the extract of ginkgo biloba (EGb) as an adjunct to the atypical antipsychotic clozapine in the treatment of refractory schizophrenia. In a placebo-controlled study, 42 patients with chronic, treatment-resistant schizophrenia, who were maintained on optimal doses of clozapine, were administered either 120 mg/day of EGb (N = 20) or placebo (N = 22) for 12 weeks. Clinical evaluations with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms were completed biweekly. The use of EGb as an adjunct to clozapine was effective in decreasing negative symptoms, but not positive and overall psychopathology symptoms. EGb produced a mean 7.9 ± 7.0 point reduction in the total Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms score compared with a mean 1.8 ± 3.5 point reduction in the placebo group (P = 0.034). These preliminary data suggested that EGb was found useful for enhancing the effect of clozapine on negative symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
There is no proven effective treatment for tardive dyskinesia TD. However, clozapine has been rep... more There is no proven effective treatment for tardive dyskinesia TD. However, clozapine has been reported to be effective in suppressing TD symptoms. In this article, we report a TD case who received clozapine. The patient recovered from TD symptoms with a dose of 450 mgr r r r rday clozapine. At the end of the first year, clozapine was decreased to a dose of 250 mgr r r r rday and TD symptoms re-emerged. Int Clin Psychopharmacol 16:369᎐371 ᮊ
Agmatine is an endogenous NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) antagonist which is synthesized from L-Argi... more Agmatine is an endogenous NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) antagonist which is synthesized from L-Arginine and described as a novel neurotransmitter. Agmatine is considered to play an important role for the development of schizophrenia. The aim of the present study is to explore the role of agmatine and L-arginine metabolism in medication-naive first-episode psychosis (FEP). We conducted a case control study in medication-naive patients with FEP (n = 40). The healthy volunteers with no family history of schizophrenia (n = 35) matched for age, gender and education level were selected as a control group. The patients were recruited to the study and followed up for 10 weeks. The plasma L-arginine, L-citrulline, L-ornithine and agmatine levels were measured using modified liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. The plasma levels of L-arginine, L-citrulline and agmatine (p b 0.0001), but not L-ornithine and agmatinase (p N 0.05), were significantly increased during baseline analysis. After 10 weeks of treatment, plasma L-arginine and L-citrulline levels were still significantly increased (p b 0.05) while L-ornithine and agmatinase levels remained unchanged (p N 0.05). Conversely, plasma agmatine levels were significantly decreased after the treatment (p b 0.0001). Positive and negative predictive values of agmatine used for evaluating the diagnostic accuracy were 95.1% and 97.1%, respectively (p b 000.1). This is the first study of arginine metabolism and agmatine in medication-naive first-episode patients and provides evidence of increased levels of an endogenous NMDA antagonist which decreases following antipsychotic treatment.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common, often chronic and disabling disorder ... more Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common, often chronic and disabling disorder with high rates of partial and/or absent response to standard, recommended treatments. We report a case of treatment-resistant OCD that was successfully treated with a pharmacological augmentation of lamotrigine plus clomipramine. The patient, a 59-year-old woman, was on a stable dose of clomipramine (225 mg/day) when she was started on lamotrigine (up to 150 mg/day). After 10 weeks of this treatment, her clinical condition remarkably improved, as indicated by a significant decrease of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. This case suggests some preliminary evidence that the addition of glutamatergic agent lamotrigine may be useful in treatment-resistant OCD. However, further controlled studies are needed to support this finding.
Background: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of smoking and substance abuse in outpat... more Background: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of smoking and substance abuse in outpatients with schizophrenia, and to determine the relationship between smoking status and sociodemographic/clinical characteristics of schizophrenia. Methods: One hundred and thirty-six schizophrenic outpatients were assessed by the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV (SCID) and brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS). Demographic and treatment variables were obtained from case records and interviews with patients and their family members. Results: The frequency of smoking among schizophrenic patients was 50%. However, the rate of substance abuse was 5.2%. We found no statistically significant differences between the smoker and the non-smoker patients on the demographic variables of age, sex, marital status, and employment status. There was no significant difference between the groups on BPRS scores. However, smokers were receiving a higher daily dose of neuroleptic than non-smokers. Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking among schizophrenic patients was similar to the rates found in Western cultures. However, the prevalence of substance abuse was lower in Turkish patients as compared with patients in the Western population.
The prevalence of alexithymia among male alcoholic cases in a clinical sample from the Turkish po... more The prevalence of alexithymia among male alcoholic cases in a clinical sample from the Turkish population and the relationship between alexithymia and clinical characteristics of alcoholics were studied. Participants were 56 males with alcohol dependence. Alcohol dependence was diagnosed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), Turkish version. Alexithymia was screened using the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Almost 42% of the patients with alcoholism had a score greater than 60 on the TAS-20, and were therefore considered as alexithymic. The alexithymic patients were found to have a lower level of education and poor economic status. In addition, the severity of alcoholism and duration of alcohol use has been shown to be associated with alexithymia. These results suggest that there was a strong connection between alexithymia and alcoholism. However, the prevalence of alexithymia was not different in Turkish alcoholic men compared with Western alcoholic men.
DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals. ... Title: Anxiety Disorders in a Nonclinical Male Sample... more DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals. ... Title: Anxiety Disorders in a Nonclinical Male Sample With Joint Hypermobility Syndrome. ... Abstract: Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine of anxiety disorders at cases of joint hyper-mobility syndrome (JHS) without Mitral ...
American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 2009
It is hypothesized that molecular components of dopaminergic system, especially the dopamine D3 r... more It is hypothesized that molecular components of dopaminergic system, especially the dopamine D3 receptor gene (DRD3), may play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, because it is abundant in the limbic system of the brain and it binds antipsychotic drugs. Several groups attempted to find an association between a serine-to-glycine polymorphism of the DRD3 gene (Ser9Gly) and schizophrenia; however, the results were inconsistent. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship of the Serine/Glycine polymorphism of the DRD3 gene with therapeutic response to clozapine treatment between Turkish schizophrenia patients (N ¼ 92) and healthy controls (N ¼ 100). Genotype groups were comparable in BPRS, SAPS, SANS analysis of response to clozapine. Our results suggest that an association between the Ser/Gly polymorphism of DRD3 gene and response to clozapine in Turkish schizophrenia patients is unlikely to exist.
Objective:The prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in patients with borderline personalit... more Objective:The prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) is unidentified. We hypothesised that BDD would be more common than realised in patients with BPD and comorbidity with BDD would result in a more severe clinical profile. Also, childhood trauma may play a predictive role in this association.Methods:The study included 70 BPD in-patients and 70 matched healthy controls. The subjects were evaluated with a comprehensive assessment battery using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II) diagnostic tool for BDD, Global Assessment of Functioning, Traumatic Experiences Checklist and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.Results:The prevalence of BDD was 54.3% in the borderline sample. The BPD patients with BDD had significantly lower overall functioning and higher levels of BPD pathology, childhood traumatic experiences, suicide atte...
Objective: There is some evidence that acute episode of psychosis is characterized by immune alte... more Objective: There is some evidence that acute episode of psychosis is characterized by immune alterations, but there are conflicting results about this issue. The aim of this study was to determine whether serum haptoglobin and neopterin concentrations in patients with first episode psychosis are different from those in control subjects. Methods: Forty-six male patients with first episode psychosis and 52 healthy subjects were included in this study. Psychotic symptoms were assessed by using the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). All patients were drug naive, and serum neopterin and haptoglobin concentrations were measured. Results: We found that in the first episode psychosis group, serum neopterin concentrations were higher than in the control group. However, there was no difference between the two groups in terms of serum haptoglobin concentrations. It was found t...
Studies that have focused on the mitochondrial electron transport chain indicate that bipolar dis... more Studies that have focused on the mitochondrial electron transport chain indicate that bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with pathology in mitochondrial function. These pathological processes occur in the brain circuits that regulate affective functions, emotions, and motor behaviors. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between mitochondrial complex dysfunction and BD. The BD group included 32 male patients diagnosed with first-episode manic BD. The control group included 35 sociodemographically matched healthy males. Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) was isolated from peripheral blood samples obtained from the patients and control group, and the mRNA levels of the NDUFV1, NDUFV2, and NDUFS1 genes of mitochondrial complex I and the UQCR10 gene of mitochondrial complex III were investigated. Significant differences were identified in complex I gene mRNA levels between the BD group (n=32) and the control group (n=35) for the following genes: NDUFV1 (P=0.01), NDUFV2 (P<0.01), and NDUFS1 (P=0.02). The UQCR10 gene (complex III) mRNA level did not differ between the groups (P=0.1). The mRNA levels of the four genes studied were lower at the 3-month follow-up; however, these differences were not significant (P>0.05). All of the BD patients were in manic episodes; thus, we were unable to separately compare these levels with those during depressive and euthymic episodes. The mRNA levels of all of the genes representing the subunits of mitochondrial complex I (NDUFV1, NDUFV2, and NDUFS1) were significantly higher in the present study's BD patients during manic episodes than in the controls. With the data obtained from further research, biomarkers that could be used for the diagnosis and follow-up of neuropsychiatric disorders may be discovered.
The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 2009
Suicide attempt is a universally observed human behavior related to bio-psychological, social and... more Suicide attempt is a universally observed human behavior related to bio-psychological, social and cultural factors. While some studies have suggested that specific demographic/cultural and clinical variables are associated with suicide attempts in schizophrenia, these associations are often inconsistent. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between socio-demographic and clinical variables and suicidal behavior in a sample of patients diagnosed as having schizophrenia in Turkey. Three hundred patients with a SCID-I diagnosis of schizophrenia were studied. The sample was subdivided into two groups based on the presence or absence of lifetime suicide attempts. The main demographic and clinical variables retrospectively collected were analyzed and compared between the two groups. The results of present study revealed that the subjects who had and had not attempted suicide did not differ with respect to demographic variables. The suicide attempters tend to ha...
Norotoksik bir madde olan toluenin kotuye kullanimi norolojik ve psikiyatrik komplikasyonlara ned... more Norotoksik bir madde olan toluenin kotuye kullanimi norolojik ve psikiyatrik komplikasyonlara neden olmaktadir. Ancak, bazi is kollarinda calisan ve uzun sure toluen etkisinde kalan kisilerde de benzer etkiler olusabilmektedir. Goruntuleme calismalarinda, kronik toluen entoksikasyonu sonucu beyin hacminde kuculme ve yaygin madde degisiklikleri meydana geldigi bulunmustur. Beyinde olusan yapisal degisikliklere bagli olarak ilerleyici norolojik ve psikiyatrik belirtilerin ortaya ciktigi gosterilmistir. Bu yazida, isyerinde sekiz yil sureyle toluen etkisinde kalan, korpus kallozum nekrozu gelisen ve ilerleyici psikiyatrik belirtilerle seyreden bir olgu sunulmustur. Anahtar kelimeler: toluen entoksikasyonu, korpus kallozum, psikiyatrik belirtiler Abuse of toluene, which is a neurotoxic substance, causes neurological and psychiatric complications. Similar complications may also be seen in people who are exposed to toluene long term in some industries. Decrease of brain volume and generalised substance changes in brain have been found in imaging studies. Progressive neurological and psychiatric changes have been shown to be due to these changes. In this article, a subject was presented who was exposed to toluene at the workshop for 8 years and has suffered corpus callosum necrosis with progressive psychiatric symptoms.
The focus of this study was the systematic evaluation of the clinical effects of the extract of g... more The focus of this study was the systematic evaluation of the clinical effects of the extract of ginkgo biloba (EGb) as an adjunct to the atypical antipsychotic clozapine in the treatment of refractory schizophrenia. In a placebo-controlled study, 42 patients with chronic, treatment-resistant schizophrenia, who were maintained on optimal doses of clozapine, were administered either 120 mg/day of EGb (N = 20) or placebo (N = 22) for 12 weeks. Clinical evaluations with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms were completed biweekly. The use of EGb as an adjunct to clozapine was effective in decreasing negative symptoms, but not positive and overall psychopathology symptoms. EGb produced a mean 7.9 ± 7.0 point reduction in the total Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms score compared with a mean 1.8 ± 3.5 point reduction in the placebo group (P = 0.034). These preliminary data suggested that EGb was found useful for enhancing the effect of clozapine on negative symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
There is no proven effective treatment for tardive dyskinesia TD. However, clozapine has been rep... more There is no proven effective treatment for tardive dyskinesia TD. However, clozapine has been reported to be effective in suppressing TD symptoms. In this article, we report a TD case who received clozapine. The patient recovered from TD symptoms with a dose of 450 mgr r r r rday clozapine. At the end of the first year, clozapine was decreased to a dose of 250 mgr r r r rday and TD symptoms re-emerged. Int Clin Psychopharmacol 16:369᎐371 ᮊ
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