NCT02534363

Neurocognitive Effectiveness in Treatment of First-episode Non-affective Psychosis: 1-year Follow-up

Neurocognitive Effectiveness in Treatment of First-episode Non-affective Psychosis: a Randomized Comparison of Aripiprazole, Quetiapine and Ziprasidone Over 1 Year

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 136 (actual)
• Sponsor: Fundación Marques de Valdecilla · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 15 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Cognitive enhancement is a primary goal in treating individuals with schizophrenia. Cognitive deficits are already present at the first break of the illness, seem to remain stable during early phases and noticeably influence daily functioning. Differences among antipsychotics in terms of cognitive effectiveness have turned out to be a topic of increasing research interest. The initially postulated superior neurocognitive effectiveness of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) compared to first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) is currently under debate. Long-term studies would be of great value to evaluate the differential benefits exerted by antipsychotic drugs on cognitive performance. The aim of this study is to investigate the cognitive effects of aripiprazole, quetiapine and ziprasidone in first-episode psychosis at 1 year.

Detailed description

Study setting and financial support: data for the present investigation were obtained from an ongoing epidemiological and three-year longitudinal intervention program of first-episode psychosis (PAFIP) conducted at the outpatient clinic and the inpatient unit at the University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Spain. Conforming to international standards for research ethics, this program was approved by the local institutional review board. Patients meeting inclusion criteria and their families provided written informed consent to be included in the PAFIP. The Mental Health Services of Cantabria provided funding for implementing the program. No pharmaceutical company supplied any financial support. Study design: this is a prospective, randomized, flexible-dose, open-label study. Investigators used a simple randomization procedure: a computer-generated randomization list was drawn up by a statistician. Dose ranges were 5-30 mg/day Aripiprazole, 40-160 mg/day Ziprasidone and 100-600 mg/day Quetiapine. Rapid titration schedule (5-day), until optimal dose was reached, was as a rule used unless severe side effects occur. At the treating physician's discretion, the dose and type of antipsychotic medication could be changed based on clinical efficacy and the profile of side effects during the follow-up period. Antimuscarinic medication, Lormetazepam and Clonazepam were permitted for clinical reasons. No antimuscarinic agents were administered prophylactically. Antidepressants (Sertraline) and mood stabilizers (lithium) were permitted if clinically needed. Clinical assessment: the severity scale of the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive symptoms (SAPS), the Scale for the Assessment of Negative symptoms (SANS), the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) were used to evaluate symptomatology. To assess general adverse event experiences, the Scale of the Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU), the Simpson-Angus Rating Scale (SARS) and the Barnes Akathisia Scale (BAS) were used. The same trained psychiatrist (BC-F) completed all clinical assessments. These clinical data are described at AZQ2005 study. Neuropsychological assessment. Cognitive functioning was assessed in patients at 2 points: baseline and 1 year after the initialization of antipsychotic treatment. The cognitive assessment at baseline was carried out at 12 weeks after recruitment because this time is considered optimal for patients' stabilization. The evaluation required approximately 2 h and was carried out in the same day by the same neuropsychologist (R.A.-A and E.G.-R). The neuropsychological battery comprises 9 cognitive domains: information processing speed, motor dexterity, working memory, verbal learning, visuospatial abilities, delayed memory, attention, executive function and theory of mind.

Conditions

• Schizophrenia
• Psychotic Disorders

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Aripiprazole	Oral, dose range 5-30 mg/day, once or twice a day, during study duration
DRUG	Quetiapine	Oral, dose range 100-600 mg/day, once or twice a day, during study duration
DRUG	Ziprasidone	Oral, dose range 40-160 mg/day, once or twice a day, during study duration
BEHAVIORAL	Cognitive battery	Completed in the following standardized sequence: 1-the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT); 2-WAIS-III digit symbol subtest; 3-Grooved Pegboard Test; 4-The Zoo Map Test; 5-Tower of London Test (ToL); 6-Rey Complex Figure (RCF); 7-Trail Making Test (TMT); 8-WAIS-III digits forward and backward subtests; 9-WAIS-III letter-number sequencing subtest; 10-WAIS-III vocabulary subtest that was used as measure of premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ); 11-Stroop Test; 12-letter (FAS) and semantic (animal) fluency tests; 14-Eyes Task; 15-Continuous Performance Test (CPT).

Timeline

• Start date: 2005-10-01
• Primary completion: 2011-01-01
• Completion: 2013-01-01
• First posted: 2015-08-27
• Last updated: 2017-03-14

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Spain