Cognitive Effects of Combined Amisulpride and Quetiapine Treatment in Patients With Refractory Schizophrenia: A Naturalistic, Prospective Study.

Abstract

Background: There are different treatment options, but little support of evidence in the treatment of patients with resistant schizophrenia. In this study we used antipsychotic polypharmacy (AP) comprising 1200 mg of amisulpride and 600 mg of quetiapine, using neurocognitive evaluations to measure clinical change. Study Question: The AP of amisulpride and quetiapine implicará una mejoría clínica en pacientes with resistant schizophrenia que reflejará especialmente en una mejoría cognitiva. Study Design: Naturalistic and prospective study. 26 patients with no biological response to medication, high social maladjustment, a long history of the disease, to whom Kane's and Brenner's criteria for treatment-resistant schizophrenia were applied and assessed by a battery of neurocognitive evaluations desde a pre-treatment baseline y a los six months treatment. Measures and Outcomes: La mejoría cognitiva implicara una mejora significativa in the cognitive test: Stroop test, WAIS Coding Subtest, Continuous Trail Making Test (CTMT) desde la línea base y los 6 meses de tratamiento. También implicará mejoría en las escalas de Calgary Depression Scale (CDS), Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS) and a Visual Analogue Scale (EVA) con las que fueron evaluados en línea base, a los 3 meses y a los 6 meses. Results: Subjects, after six months treatment with amisulpride and quetiapine, did statistically significant difference in the assessed areas: WAIS Coding Subtest (P <0.001), CTMT A & B (CTMTA P< 0,034; CTMTB P< 0,000) and in Stroop tests: Word (P< 0,001), word-color (P< 0,007) and interference (P< 0,039). Furthermore they showed a statistically significant difference in CDS (P< 0,002), SAS (P< 0,019), and EVA (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of this report show a cognitive and clinical improvement in refractory patients after the administration of amisulpride and quetiapine.