The effects of fluvoxamine on cognition in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

IntroductionSchizophrenia is a severe disease which affects different aspects of behavior, including cognitive functions. The most important fields of cognitive disorders in schizophrenia are working memory, vigilance/attention, learning by oral and visual memory, argument and resolving, analysis rate and social knowledge.AimsThis study was designed to assess the effects of fluvoxamine on cognitive functions of schizophrenic patients.MethodThirty-six patients with schizophrenia, all male, were treated with 100 mg fluvoxamine and a second generation anti-psychotic for 4 weeks and before and after treatment, their cognitive functions were assessed by Wechsler-3 memory scale (WMS-revised) and negative symptoms by scale for the assessment of negative symptoms (SANS).ResultsIn our study, the average patients’ scores increased in Wechsler-3 memory scale (WMS-revised) before and after receiving fluvoxamine (P < 0.001). This study couldn’t show a statistically significant difference between the patients’ scores in negative symptoms (SANS test) before and after the treatment course (P = 0.59) There was a negative statistically significant correlation found between WMS score before and after the intervention and the level of education, living area and cigarette smoking. Increasing scores in the test was statistically correlated with lower education, cigarette smoking and living in rural area.ConclusionAugmented treatment with fluvoxamine, probably has effects on some parts of cognitive abilities of male schizophrenic patients which are assessable by Wechsler-3 memory scale. Therefore further studies on evaluation of fluvoxamine effects in other fields of cognitive abilities like concentration and attention in schizophrenic patients are still required.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.