Pilot Study of Atomoxetine To Enhance COgnition In Patients With Schizophrenia
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2007-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Relationships between altered prefrontal cortical dopamine, norepinephrine and some cognitive
impairments of schizophrenia supports and approach for pharmacological remediation of
cognitive symptoms through manipulations of prefrontal cortical dopamine and norepinephrine.
Atomoxetine, a selective norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor, produces a widespread increase
in brain norepinephrine and a secondary and selective increase in prefrontal dopamine. Given
this, we are evaluating atomoxetine's cognitive effects in a pilot placebo controlled trial
in patients with schizophrenia. Moreover, an fMRI investigation was undertaken to assess the
neural mechanisms underlying the cognitive effects of atomoxetine.