Negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia are associated with a hypodopaminergic state in the frontal cortex and do not respond to neuroleptics equally well as positive symptoms. Therefore pharmacological strategies, which increase dopamine metabolism in the mesocortical pathways, may prove beneficial to ameliorate these symptoms.
We report on a case of a patient with paranoid schizophrenia, who still presented negative and depressive symptoms during treatment with amisulpride for more than 6 weeks. We prescribed pergolide (a mixed D1/D2 agonist) as adjuvant therapy to treat these symptoms.
The patient showed an improvement of global psychopathology, decrease of negative and depressive symptoms, while no changes in positive symptoms nor EPS were present.
For this patient, the adjuvant therapy of pergolide to amisulpride constituted a valid pharmacological approach to treat negative and depressive symptoms of schizophrenia, without increasing positive symptoms.
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1 Percent values calculated from change from baseline T0: (-) = improvement; (+) = worsening of scores.
Dr. Daniela Roesch-Ely
Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik
Vossstr. 4
69115 Heidelberg
Germany
Phone: +49 6221 567227
Fax: +49 6221 565477
Email: daniela_roesch@med.uni-heidelberg.de
