Adjunctive intranasal oxytocin improves verbal memory in people with schizophrenia

• Published in: Schizophrenia research 2012-08, Vol.139 (1), p.207-210
• Main Authors: Feifel, David, MacDonald, Kai, Cobb, Patrice, Minassian, Arpi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Intranasal; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Analysis of Variance; Antipsychotic Agents - administration & dosage; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition; Cross-Over Studies; CVLT; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; LNS; Male; Medical sciences; Memory; Memory Disorders - drug therapy; Memory Disorders - etiology; Mental Recall - drug effects; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Oxytocin; Oxytocin - administration & dosage; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - complications; Schizophrenia - drug therapy; Schizophrenic Psychology; Verbal Learning - drug effects; Verbal Learning - physiology
• ISSN: 0920-9964; 1573-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2012.05.018

Abstract Introduction Cognitive deficits are a prominent, disabling component of schizophrenia and current pharmacological treatments have demonstrated limited efficacy in their amelioration. Oxytocin – though it has shown promise as a novel antipsychotic in multiple clinical trials – has as-yet poorly characterized effects on cognition, with some evidence indicating an amnestic profile. Method As part of a previously reported trial of chronic adjunctive oxytocin in schizophrenia, we measured its effect on two cognitive tests: the CVLT (California Verbal Learning Test) and the LNS (Letter Number Sequence). Tests were performed at baseline and after 3 weeks of treatment. Results We found no evidence for an amnestic effect and, in fact, significantly better performance with oxytocin on several subtests of the CVLT; namely total Recall trials 1–5 (p = 0.027), short delayed free recall (p = 0.032) and total recall discrimination (p = 0.020). In contrast we found no difference between placebo and oxytocin on LNS performance. Conclusions This is the first report we are aware of documenting a beneficial effect of oxytocin on cognition in schizophrenia. Though from a small sample (n = 15), these data both offset past concerns about oxytocin's amnestic effects, and may auger another potential benefit in addition to the already-demonstrated salutary effects on other components of the illness.