Effects of Blockade of Cholinesterase on Negative Disorders in Schizophrenia

Objective. To assess the possible influence of blockade of cholinesterase on negative disorders in schizophrenia patients. Materials and methods. The study included 26 patients (including 13 women) with paranoid schizophrenia, episodic-progressive form (ICD-10), in remission and receiving stable antipsychotic therapy. Mean age was 40.4 (SD 11.7) years. The following psychometric scales were used: the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), a neurocognitive method (the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia, BACS), and projective psychological methods (Rorschach test). Results and conclusions. These studies showed that augmentation of maintenance antipsychotic therapy with a cholinesterase blocker was found to be an effective means of influencing negative disorders, particularly decreasing the extent of symptoms of emotional deficit. Improvements in cognitive functioning on the BACS occurred independently of changes in the severity of negative disorders on the PANSS. The Rorschach test demonstrated improvements in conventional orientation of thinking in the patients. There were no cases with exacerbation of psychotic symptoms.