The investigators' hypothesis is that oral L-carnosine treatment (as compared with placebo)
will enhance cognitive abilities (specifically: measures of attention, executive function,
working memory, visuospatial ability and language) in persons with schizophrenia or
schizoaffective disorder. Secondarily, they hypothesize that there will be secondary
improvements in positive, negative and mood symptoms with L-carnosine treatment.
The investigators aim to test these hypotheses by conducting a randomized, placebo
controlled, add-on treatment trial of L-carnosine (added to existing antipsychotic treatment)
up to 84 recruited subjects with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th
Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder for a period of 16
weeks. Measures of cognition and psychopathology will be utilized for evaluating primary and
secondary outcomes, along with safety assessments.