维思通与氯氮平治疗精神分裂症对照分析

用维思通治疗精神分裂症３３例，与用氯氮平治疗的３１例进行对照研究。两组以阴性症状量表（ＳＡＮＳ），阳性症状量表（ＳＡＰＳ），简明精神病量表（ＢＰＲＳ）和副反应量表进行盲式评分。结果显示：虽然氯氮平对治疗阴性阳性症状均有较好疗效，但维思通更明显优于氯氮平，且副作用较小。本文对维思通的疗效，临床应用，副作用，作用机理进行了讨论。     

利培酮治疗老年期精神分裂症双盲对照研究

目的：探讨利培酮治疗老年期精神分裂症的有效性及安全性。方法：分别用利培酮和氟哌啶醇对62例老年期精神分裂症患者进行8周治疗。疗效评定采用阳性与阴性症状量表(PANSS)，不良反应评定用副反应量表(TESS)和Sampson锥体外系反应量表。结果：两组治疗前后比较PANSS总分和各因子分均具有显著差异、两组在治疗第1、2、4、6、8周PANSS总分及各因子分比较差异均无显著性，但利培酮组较氟哌啶醇组在治疗阴性症状方面起效早2周。不良反应震颤、肌强直、活动减退发生率利培酮组显著低于氟哌啶醇组。结论：利培酮和氟哌啶醇均为治疗老年期精神分裂症有效、安全的药物。利培酮治疗阴性症状起效较早，氟哌啶醇锥体外系反应较显著。     

Risperidone in acute and long-term therapy of schizophrenia--a clinical profile

Data from a range of well-controlled clinical trials, observational studies, and clinical use support the efficacy of risperidone for both acute and long-term therapy of schizophrenic psychoses. With regard to positive symptoms, the efficacy of risperidone was shown to be at least comparable with that of haloperidol. However, risperidone differs from conventional antipsychotics because it is more effective against the negative symptoms, has beneficial effects on affective and cognitive symptoms, and carries less risk of extrapyramidal side effects (EPS). To date, risperidone is the only atypical antipsychotic to have shown a significantly lower relapse rate compared with haloperidol in a long-term double-blind trial. This review describes comprehensive trial data and therapeutic observations gained with risperidone in the treatment of schizophrenia since its approval.     

Adverse effects of risperidone and haloperidol treatment in schizophrenia

PURPOSE: Side effects of pharmacological treatment in schizophrenia continue to be a major issue in spite of the development of new antipsychotics. The aim of this study is to explore the adverse effects of conventional and atypical antipsychotic drugs and their associated factors. METHODS: Over 3 months, 41 patients with schizophrenia were randomized to treatment with risperidone 1-12 mg (n=21) or haloperidol 2-20 mg (n=20) daily. Efficacy was assessed by improvement of psychotic symptoms, measured on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The safety and tolerability were assessed with the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale, the UKU Side-Effect Rating Scale and clinical laboratory assessments. RESULTS: Each treatment reduced psychotic symptoms. PANSS total scores, positive scores, and general psychopathology scores declined as trial went on without significant differences between the two groups. While PANSS negative scores improved better in the risperidone group than in the haloperidol group. The tolerability of antipsychotics was statistical significantly better in the risperidone than in the haloperidol-treated patients. The most frequent adverse effects for both groups were tremor and rigidity. Antipsychotics, their doses, and hyperprolactinemia predict short-term extrapyramidal side effects. Serum prolactin levels could predict parkinsonism and dyskinesia severity. However, dyskinesia was best predicted by the doses of neuroleptics. The predictive factor of dystonia was the antipsychotic drug itself. After adjusting drug doses and concomitant medications, side effects could be markedly improved. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that risperidone was superior to haloperidol in improving negative symptoms and better tolerated during the 12 weeks' treatment of schizophrenia. Serum prolactin levels could predict the severity of parkinsonism and dyskinesia.     

齐拉西酮与利培酮治疗女性首发精神分裂症的对照研究

目的比较齐拉西酮与利培酮治疗女性首发精神分裂症的疗效及安全性。方法将68例女性首发精神分裂症患者随机分为齐拉西酮与利培酮组各34例,分别给予齐拉西酮和利培酮治疗（齐拉西酮82.20±4.04mg/d和利培酮3±1.20mg/d）,疗程均为8周。分别于治疗前及治疗第1,2,4,8周采用阳性与阴性症状量表（PANSS）评定疗效;以治疗中出现的症状量表（TESS）评定不良反应。结果齐拉西酮组显效率和有效率分别为61.76%和79.41%,利培酮组分别为58.82%和76.47%,两组比较,差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）。两组治疗后PANSS评分均较治疗前明显下降（P〈0.05或P〈0.01）,齐拉西酮组阴性症状因子分在治疗4和8周时[分别为（15.4±2.0）和（12.8±3.2）]显著低于利培酮组[分别为（20.8±2.2）和（17.7±7.6）]分,两组比较,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05或P〈0.01）。结论齐拉西酮是一种安全有效的抗精神病药物,对阴性症状有显著的改善作用。     

Comparative efficacy of risperidone versus haloperidol on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia

BACKGROUND: Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) cannot be regarded as a single clinical syndrome, but rather as a heterogeneous group of symptoms, each of which can be considered as possible targets for therapy. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of risperidone and haloperidol on specific manifestations of BPSD. METHODS: A post-hoc analysis was conducted using data from an 18-week, randomized, double-blind, crossover head-to-head trial of risperidone vs haloperidol in treating 114 nursing-home residents with BPSD. Dependent variables were item scores of the Korean versions of the Behavioural Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (BEHAVE-AD-K) and Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI-K). RESULTS: On the BEHAVE-AD-K, risperidone was significantly more effective than haloperidol in treating wandering (p = 0.0496), agitation (p = 0.0091), diurnal rhythm disturbances (p = 0.0137), anxiety regarding upcoming events (p = 0.0002), and other anxieties (p = 0.0088). On the CMAI-K, risperidone was significantly more effective in treating physical sexual advances (p = 0.0202), pacing and aimless wandering (p = 0.0123), intentional falling (p = 0.0398), hoarding things (p = 0.0499), performing repetitious mannerisms (p = 0.0048), repetitive sentence or questions (p = 0.0025), complaining (p = 0.0101), and negativism (p = 0.0027). Haloperidol was not significantly superior to risperidone on any individual item in either scale. CONCLUSIONS: When comparing treatment effects on individual symptoms frequently occurring in patients with dementia, risperidone significantly improved symptoms of agitation, wandering, diurnal rhythm disturbance and anxieties, among other symptoms, compared with haloperidol.     

利培酮口服液治疗老年期精神分裂症临床观察

目的:研究利培酮口服液治疗老年期精神分裂症的疗效和不良反应.方法:将51例老年期精神分裂症住院患者随机分为两组,分别给予利培酮口服液和氟哌啶醇治疗6周.以阳性与阴性症状量表(PANSS)评定疗效,用副反应量表(TESS)评定不良反应.结果:利培酮口服液与氟哌啶醇的疗效无显著差异.利培酮口服液的不良反应主要为失眠、恶心等,程度轻微,氟哌啶醇的锥体外系反应较严重.结论:利培酮口服液对老年期精神分裂症有效,不良反应轻微.     

The effect of neuroleptic treatments on executive function and symptomatology in schizophrenia: a 1-year follow up study

Cognitive dysfunctions (as in memory, attention and executive function) have been recognized as fundamental features of schizophrenia. Executive dysfunction is a major obstacle to functional outcome, community functioning and rehabilitation success and it is crucial to assess the effects of so-called neuroleptic (NLP) medications in this domain of cognitive functioning. Risperidone, an atypical NLP, has been reported to improve executive function in schizophrenia (SZ), but there is controversy regarding these findings. The aim of the current study was to assess the differential effects of risperidone (2-6 mg) and conventional (2-40 mg haloperidol) NLPs on executive skills in 31 individuals with SZ over a 12-month period. The performance of both NLP groups was compared to the performance of 17 age- and education-matched healthy controls. In this randomized, double blind study, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was administered at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months after initiating medication. The relationship between executive functioning and the course of clinical symptoms, as assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was also investigated. Results showed that, relative to healthy controls, individuals with SZ showed marked impairment in WCST from baseline through 12 months of treatment. Also, participants under haloperidol or risperidone NLP medication performed similarly on the WCST at all assessment periods showing that risperidone and haloperidol do not differ in their effect on executive functioning. Risperidone treatment, however, was more effective in the reduction of negative symptoms. The differential efficacy of risperidone over negative symptoms and WCST performance strongly suggests that the executive impairments are to some extent the result of brain abnormalities independent of those that produce the major psychopathology manifestations seen in SZ.     

Effectiveness of antipsychotic treatments for schizophrenia: interim 6-month analysis from a prospective observational study (IC-SOHO) comparing olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, and haloperidol

BACKGROUND: The Intercontinental Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (IC-SOHO) study was designed to provide information regarding use and outcome of antipsychotic treatments in a large, diverse population in real practice settings. METHOD: Outpatients with schizophrenia (ICD-10 or DSM-IV) who initiated or changed to a new antipsychotic entered this 3-year, naturalistic, prospective observational study. Four monotherapy treatment groups were defined according to the antipsychotic prescribed at baseline, namely olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, and haloperidol. Efficacy was assessed using the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness rating scale (CGI-S), inclusive of subscales for positive, negative, depressive, and cognitive symptoms. Tolerability was assessed by adverse event questionnaires and weight measurements. Six-month findings are described. RESULTS: At baseline, 5833 participants were prescribed monotherapy and the mean severity of illness was moderate to marked (CGI-S). At 6 months, olanzapine resulted in significantly greater improvements in overall, positive, negative, depressive, and cognitive symptoms compared with quetiapine, risperidone or haloperidol (p <.001). Improvements in overall, negative, and cognitive symptoms were significantly higher for risperidone compared with haloperidol (p <.001), whereas improvements across all symptoms were comparable for quetiapine and haloperidol. Extra-pyramidal symptoms and tardive dyskinesia decreased compared with baseline in the olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone groups but increased in the haloperidol group (p <.001, likelihood of extrapyramidal symptoms with haloperidol compared with olanzapine, quetiapine, or risperidone). Sexual function adverse events were most prominent in the haloperidol and risperidone treatment groups. Weight change was significantly greater for olanzapine compared with the other antipsychotics (p <.001). CONCLUSION: Our results support the previously reported positive impact of atypical antipsychotics, particularly olanzapine, in patients with schizophrenia.     

Comparison of the effects of risperidone and haloperidol on regional cerebral blood flow in schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Atypical antipsychotics, such as risperidone, have been shown to be more effective for the treatment of the symptoms of schizophrenia and have a greater beneficial effect on neurocognition compared to the conventional antipsychotics. The present study used [(15)O]H(2)O positron emission tomography imaging of regional cerebral blood flow to examine and compare the effects of haloperidol and risperidone on brain function. METHODS: Thirty-two subjects with schizophrenia participated in the study. Each subject was scanned in a medication-free state, and after being on a stable clinically assigned dose of either risperidone or haloperidol for 3 weeks. The off-medication scan was subtracted from the on-medication scan, using a within-subjects design. A randomization analysis was used to determine differences between the effects of haloperidol and risperidone on regional cerebral blood flow. RESULTS: Haloperidol was associated with a significantly greater increase in regional cerebral blood flow in the left putamen and posterior cingulate, and a significantly greater decrease in regional cerebral blood flow in frontal regions compared to risperidone. Risperidone was associated with a significantly greater decrease in regional cerebral blood flow in the cerebellum bilaterally compared to haloperidol. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that risperidone and haloperidol have significantly different effects on brain function, which may be related to their differences in efficacy and side effects. Further work is required to more precisely determine the mechanisms by which different antipsychotic medications exert their therapeutic effects on the clinical symptoms and cognition in schizophrenia. These findings emphasize the importance of controlling for both medication status and the individual antipsychotic in neuroimaging studies.     

Clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, and haloperidol in the treatment of patients with chronic schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

OBJECTIVE: The authors compared the efficacy and safety of three atypical antipsychotics (clozapine, olanzapine, and risperidone) with one another and with haloperidol in the treatment of patients with chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. METHOD: In a double-blind trial, 157 inpatients with a history of suboptimal treatment response were randomly assigned to treatment with clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, or haloperidol for 14 weeks (an 8-week escalation and fixed-dose period followed by a 6-week variable-dose period). RESULTS: Clozapine, risperidone, and olanzapine (but not haloperidol) resulted in statistically significant improvements in total score on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Improvements seen in total and negative symptom scores with clozapine and olanzapine were superior to haloperidol. The atypical drugs, particularly olanzapine and clozapine, were associated with weight gain. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of atypical antipsychotics in this population were statistically significant but clinically modest. The overall pattern of results suggests that clozapine and olanzapine have similar general antipsychotic efficacy and that risperidone may be somewhat less effective. Clozapine was the most effective treatment for negative symptoms. However, the differences among treatments were small.     

Effectiveness and safety of antipsychotics in early onset psychoses: a long-term comparison

The effectiveness and safety of various antipsychotics was evaluated in a long-term study on 47 patients, 29 with schizophrenia and 18 with schizoaffective disorder, aged 10 to 17 years (mean 15.5) at onset. Follow-up ranged from 3 years (all 47 patients) to 11 years (19 patients). Data were collected on the following antipsychotics: haloperidol, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, aripiprazole and clozapine. Cases with positive response were significantly more frequent with clozapine as compared to haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine. Risperidone was significantly better than haloperidol at the 3-year follow-up. A comparison of the degree of clinical improvement evaluated with PANSS and CGI in patients treated with drugs in subsequent periods showed clozapine led to significantly greater improvement as compared to haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine, and risperidone as compared to haloperidol. Data on long-term functioning significantly favored clozapine as compared to all the other drugs. Discontinuation due to side effects involved 20% patients with clozapine, lower percentage with the other drugs. The results of this study on early-onset schizophrenic and schizoaffective disorders confirm that even in the long-term, clozapine is more effective than haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine. Despite a relevant incidence of adverse effects, clozapine seems to have unique effectiveness in treating children and adolescents with early-onset schizophrenic disorders.     

Sertindole: a clinical efficacy profile

Sertindole is an effective atypical antipsychotic drug that is associated with significant improvements in the symptoms of schizophrenia. It is at least as efficacious as haloperidol and risperidone in treating the overall and positive symptoms of schizophrenia and has been shown to have advantages over these two drugs with respect to the treatment of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. In clinical trials, notable improvements in patients' quality of life were observed, which suggest that patients prescribed sertindole would be more likely to adhere to treatment and continue taking the drug as part of their long-term treatment regimen. Continued treatment gives patients the best chance of avoiding relapse. Indeed, other benefits of sertindole demonstrated in clinical trials include relatively low relapse and re-admission rates. Sertindole could theoretically reduce the financial burden of schizophrenia on health- and social-care systems by reducing the need for re-hospitalization and by enabling patients to manage their illness and to live as normal a life as possible.     

Risperidone in treatment-refractory schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical safety and efficacy of risperidone compared to haloperidol in patients with treatment-refractory schizophrenia. METHOD: Sixty-seven medication-unresponsive subjects were randomly assigned to treatment with risperidone (N = 34) or haloperidol (N = 33). After a 3-7 day-placebo washout period, there was a 4-week, double-blind, fixed-dose comparison trial that was followed by a 4-week, flexible-dose phase. Measures of clinical change were quantified by standard psychopathologic and neuromotor instruments. RESULTS: Risperidone demonstrated clinical efficacy superior to that of haloperidol on the total Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) after the first 4 weeks of treatment. Risperidone did not show any advantage over haloperidol after an additional 4 weeks. Overall improvement on the BPRS at 4 weeks was significantly better for the risperidone group (24%) than for the haloperidol group (11%). Risperidone-treated subjects were significantly less likely than haloperidol-treated subjects to require concomitant anticholinergic medication after 4 weeks (20% versus 63%); they also had significantly les observable akathisia (24% versus 53%) and significantly less severe tardive dyskinesia. Baseline characteristics that correlated significantly with risperidone response were positive symptoms, conceptual disorganization, akathisia, and tardive dyskinesia. CONCLUSIONS: Risperidone was better tolerated and more effective in a subset of patients with treatment-refractory schizophrenia. Positive psychotic symptoms and extrapyramidal side effects at baseline appear to be powerful predictors of subsequent response to risperidone.     

A path-analytical approach to differentiate between direct and indirect drug effects on negative symptoms in schizophrenic patients

The hypothesis that differences in drug effects of risperidone and haloperidol on negative symptoms in schizophrenia are secondary to effects on positive, extrapyramidal, and depressive symptoms was investigated by means of an analysis of the data from the USA-Canada risperidone double-blind randomized clinical trial of 523 chronic schizophrenic patients. Regression analyses in the total sample and within treatment groups confirmed a strong relationship between changes in negative symptoms and the other variables studied (R²=0.50–0.51,p<0.001). Only depressive symptoms did not contribute significantly to these results (p>0.10). Path analysis showed that the greater mean change (p<0.05) of negative symptoms with risperidone compared to haloperidol could not be fully explained by correlations with favourable effects on positive and extrapyramidal symptoms. The relationship between shift in extrapyramidal symptoms and shift in negative symptoms failed to reach statistical significance; however, there was a clear tendency in the expected direction in both treatment groups.     

A comparative effectiveness study of risperidone and olanzapine in the treatment of schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Risperidone and olanzapine have each been demonstrated to be efficacious and safe in the treatment of patients with chronic schizophrenia. To evaluate their relative effectiveness, and to better understand the advantages and limitations of each neuroleptic during actual clinical use, we compared one directly against the other. METHOD: Forty-two subjects with DSM-IV schizophrenia had received open-label treatment with either risperidone or olanzapine. Symptoms, global functioning, and extrapyramidal side effects before and after acute treatment were compared within and across groups. At 6-month follow-up, the relative effectiveness of these 2 atypical neuroleptics on symptoms and quality of life were further evaluated. RESULTS: Following an average of 4 weeks of acute treatment, both risperidone and olanzapine were effective in reducing negative, psychotic, and disorganized symptoms. Although both neuroleptics were associated with low occurrence of treatment-emergent parkinsonism, risperidone was more likely to induce akathisia. The measures for parkinsonism were no different across treatment groups, even after taking into account the higher rate of anticholinergic use in the risperidone group. Following 6 months of treatment with these 2 atypical neuroleptics, there was a significantly greater reduction in psychotic symptoms among risperidone-treated subjects. Otherwise, risperidone and olanzapine appear to be equally effective in reducing disorganized and negative symptoms and in improving the quality of life. CONCLUSION: Risperidone and olanzapine were equally effective as acute treatments. Risperidone was more effective for treatment of psychotic symptoms at 6 months, but otherwise the 2 medications were equally effective in the routine clinical care of patients with schizophrenia. If low (<6 mg/day) doses of risperidone are used, the 2 medications have comparable rates of parkinsonian side effects.     

Depression in schizophrenia: comparison of first- and second-generation antipsychotic drugs

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different antipsychotics on depressive symptoms in schizophrenic patients. The data were drawn from a retrospective, naturalistic, observational study in which 222 subjects diagnosed as being affected by schizophrenia during a re-exacerbation phase received 6 weeks of monotherapy with fluphenazine decanoate, haloperidol decanoate, haloperidol, clozapine, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone or l-sulpiride. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Extrapyramidal Side Effects Rating Scale (EPSE) and Anticholinergic Rating Scale (ACS) were administered at baseline and six weeks after the beginning of the study; depressive symptoms were evaluated using the BPRS items "depressive mood" and "guilt feelings". All of the antipsychotic drugs led to improvements in the depressive dimension, but this was statistically significant only in the case of fluphenazine decanoate, haloperidol, olanzapine, risperidone and l-sulpiride. A clinical improvement in the depressive dimension significantly correlated with the severity of the psychotic picture and its amelioration. Female patients were significantly more likely to show an improvement in depressive symptoms. In conclusion, our findings suggest that atypical antipsychotics as a class do not seem to be more effective on the depressive dimension during the course of schizophrenia than typical ones, at least as far as the collected BPRS data are concerned. The only factor that seemed to influence the improvement in depressive symptoms during our study was gender, as females were significantly more likely to improve although there were no between-gender differences in the baseline severity of the clinical picture.     

Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of risperidone for untreated and treated cases of schizophrenia from various aspects

The present study used a diversified approach to the evaluation of the clinical efficacy of the atypical antipsychotic risperidone, and the most appropriate method of switching the medication of patients undergoing alternative therapies; particularly, the widely used typical antipsychotic haloperidol. A study group of 120 patients with CYP2D6*1/*1 was subdivided into an untreated group of 20 (group A) and two groups of 50 previously treated patients (groups B and C) with haloperidol only, for more than 5 years. All patients began risperidone therapy at 2 mg/day b.i.d., increasing in increments of 2 mg to a maximum of 8 mg/day b.i.d., according to their respective PANSS score after each psychiatric evaluation. Group B underwent a tapered changeover in treatment, while group C was abruptly transferred to the new regimen. The results demonstrated that risperidone was effective in 81% of patients, regardless of previous treatment or the method of switching. Twenty patients interrupted their switch treatment for reasons of symptom aggravation. Risperidone was immediately effective against positive and negative symptoms in untreated patients; however, in the previously treated groups, it was initially effective against negative symptoms only; after a 2-week interval, positive symptoms also improved. The previously treated patients required the concomitant administration of an anticholinergic drug. The results of this study provide evidence that risperidone has a favorable profile with regard to efficacy and safety, which makes it a suitable treatment for schizophrenia. Risperidone therapy at the earliest possible stage shows optimal improvement in schizophrenia.     

A double-blind randomised comparison of risperidone and haloperidol in the treatment of behavioural and psychological symptoms in Chinese dementia patients.

BACKGROUND: Behavioural and psychological symptoms (BPSD) are common during the course of dementia and present severe problems to patients and their caregivers. OBJECTIVES: To assess the therapeutic efficacy and safety of haloperidol and risperidone in treating BPSD in Chinese dementia patients. METHODS: A 12-week double-blind randomised comparison of haloperidol and risperidone treatments was conducted in 58 patients with DSM-IV diagnosis of dementia of Alzheimer's type or vascular dementia. They were randomly assigned to receive flexible doses (0.5 to 2 mg/day) of haloperidol or risperidone. Clinical response was evaluated using the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (BEHAVE-AD), Simpson-Angus Scale, Functional Assessment Staging and Cantonese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. RESULTS: The mean doses at the last week were 0.90 mg/day of haloperidol and 0.85 mg/day of risperidone. Both haloperidol and risperidone significantly reduced the severity of BPSD (scores on CMAI and BEHAVE-AD), with no significant between-group differences. Haloperidol-treated patients showed a worsening on Simpson-Angus scale while there was no significant change in this measure in risperidone-treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose haloperidol and risperidone were well tolerated and associated with reductions in the severity and frequency of behavioural symptoms in subjects with dementia. Risperidone may have a more favourable risk-benefit profile in view of its lower propensity to induce extrapyramidal symptoms.     

Cerebral cortical gray expansion associated with two second-generation antipsychotics.

BACKGROUND: Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) differ from first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) with respect to induction of less extrapyramidal morbidity, partially reducing negative symptoms, and causing modest improvement in neurocognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia. SGAs demonstrate 5-HT2a antagonism. Differential effects of SGAs and FGAs on cortical gray volumes are explored herein. METHODS: Cerebral cortical gray was examined volumetrically in 19 patients with schizophrenia before and following 28 days of treatment with two SGAs (risperidone and ziprasidone; n = 13) or a FGA (haloperidol; n = 6). Seven (untreated) control subjects were also assessed at a similar interval. RESULTS: During treatment with the SGAs risperidone and ziprasidone, cerebral cortical gray of 13 patients with schizophrenia expanded 20.6 +/- 11.4 cc (p < .0005). Six patients receiving the FGA haloperidol, as well as 7 control subjects, showed no change in cortical gray volumes (p = .983 and p = .932, respectively) at the time of reassessment. CONCLUSIONS: Volumetric increase of cerebral cortical gray occurred early in the course of treatment with the SGAs ziprasidone and risperidone, but not with the FGA haloperidol. Such cortical gray expansion may be relevant to the reported enhanced neurocognition and quality of life associated with SGA treatment.