This trial is evaluating whether Physostigmine will improve 2 primary outcomes in patients with Schizophrenia. Measurement will happen over the course of first 120 min scan at baseline, second 120 scan 2.5 hours after amphetamine administration.
This trial requires 130 total participants across 1 different treatment group
This trial involves a single treatment. Physostigmine is the primary treatment being studied. Participants will all receive the same treatment. There is no placebo group. The treatments being tested are not being studied for commercial purposes.
"Schizophrenia is associated with poor vision and hearing, which may make it hard to see or hear people who are not speaking. It may also affect cognition, which can also limit people with schizophrenia. Depression and cognitive problems, such as hallucinations, are associated with poor treatment completion in those with schizophrenia. In those with early signs of schizophrenia, such as poor hearing or vision, there is also increased risk of poor outcomes. We discuss some of the issues that lead to these findings." - Anonymous Online Contributor
"Some researchers argue that a single genetic defect will not cause schizophrenia with 100% consistency of research studies reporting different risk factors, and it is argued that schizophrenia is a complex disorder. But as no single factor has been identified as being solely responsible for the occurrence of schizophrenia, this view remains a matter of controversy." - Anonymous Online Contributor
"Whilst no cure for schizophrenia exists, recent developments in the field of neuroscience in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy and antipsychotic drugs have made psychosis alleviation possible in select cases." - Anonymous Online Contributor
"The American Association of Community Psychiatrists estimate that about 70 million people over age 20 will have schizophrenia at some time in their lives. If these estimates are correct, they present new challenges to community psychiatrists who must deal with high levels of social stigma, public misinformation, and patient-providers' ignorance of the illness." - Anonymous Online Contributor
"What are common treatments for schizophrenia? The common and useful treatments include antipsychotic medications, mood stabilizers and antidepressants. In addition, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), family therapy, community programs, social networks, and social skills training (SST) are common methods used in the treatment of schizophrenia." - Anonymous Online Contributor
"Schizophrenia is a mental illness with a wide range of symptoms that involves impaired judgement and beliefs and can become disabling in about half of those treated. Symptoms typically begin by the age of 20 to 25. Schizophrenia was thought to be rare or nonexistent in the 1890s but is now prevalent in low socioeconomic areas and affects about 1 to 2% of Europeans. People affected typically have severe and sometimes debilitating symptoms and significant social stigma. Topics covered include what is schizophrenia, causes, risk factors, treatments, and signs and symptoms." - Anonymous Online Contributor
"Average age at onset was 20.2 for early onset, and 24.9 for late onset. Both tended to be more frequent in females than male, but the sex difference was only statistically significant for early onset." - Anonymous Online Contributor
"This is the first time that PHY has been tested in a clinical scale in patients with schizophrenia. Despite a slight rise in P3 amplitude, our data suggest that the current test doesn't correlate with actual changes on the schizophrenic phenotype in the treated patients. Thus, we can deduce that further studies are still needed to be conducted in order to establish whether PHY has any additional effects in patients suffering from schizophrenia. This project has been funded through the Italian Ministry of Defence (Ministro dello Stato.it) Special Programme for Education and Research\n\nThis project has been funded by the Italian Ministry of Defence (Ministro dello Stato." - Anonymous Online Contributor
"The current experimental results suggest that the anticholinergic effects of physostigmine may be mediated in part by its action on GABA(A) receptors, which are involved in the modulation of anxiety. The anticholinergic properties of physostigmine suggest that it may act to reduce anxiety by inhibiting the excitatory GABAergic process in the central nervous system." - Anonymous Online Contributor
"A physiostigmine dose of 120 mg/d improves QOL in the area of health perception and participation in social/leisure pursuits in this patient group over 2 months. Although a placebo-controlled trial would be required to confirm these results, we suggest that physiostigmine warrants further investigation in this patient group." - Anonymous Online Contributor
"No common side effects of physostigmine were observed. The risk of hypersensitivity reactions and allergic reactions in the case of physostigmine are exceedingly low. The risks can be avoided by the use of the lowest possible dosage. If needed when necessary, physostigmine should be rapidly reversed." - Anonymous Online Contributor
"The first part of the study supports the hypothesis that a disorder of glutamate neurotransmission involving NMDA, AMPA receptors and other subunit types plays an important role in schizophrenia. However, the second part implies that the problem is multifactorial." - Anonymous Online Contributor