Abstract
Background
Treating schizophrenia patients who fail to respond to antipsychotics is a major challenge, and the percentage of treatment-resistant patients is estimated to be 20–25 %. Recent studies indicate that yokukansan (YKS; D2 and 5HT1A partial agonist and 5HT2A and glutamate antagonist) to be safe and useful in treating behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with dementia and other neuropsychiatric conditions. We aimed at evaluating both the efficacy and safety of YKS in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
Methods
This randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted between May 2010 and August 2012. One hundred twenty antipsychotic-treated inpatients from 34 psychiatric hospitals in Japan were included. Patients were randomized to adjuvant treatment with YKS 7.5 g/day or placebo. During a 4-week follow-up, psychopathology was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) with five factors [excitement/hostility (P4, P7, G8, and G14), depression/anxiety (G1, G2, G3, G4, and G6), cognition (P2, N5, N7, G5, G10, G11, G12, G13, and G15], positive (P1, P3, P5, P6, and G9), and negative (N1, N2, N3, N4, N6, G7, and G16]]. Other assessments included, Clinical Global Impression—Severity (CGI-S), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), and Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale (DIEPSS). The primary efficacy outcome was the change in PANSS five-factor scores. The secondary outcomes were changes in the scores of CGI-S. The analysis was made on a modified intention to treat basis with the help of a last observation carried forward method.
Results
YKS showed a tendency of superiority to placebo in reducing total all PANSS five-factor scores in treatment-resistant schizophrenia, but the difference was not statistically significant in total, depression/anxiety, cognition, positive, and negative factors. However, compared to the placebo group, the YKS group showed statistically significant improvements in the PANSS excitement/hostility factor scores (p < 0.05). No substantial side effects were recorded.
Conclusion
The results of the present study indicate YKS to be a potential adjunctive treatment strategy for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, particularly to improve excitement/hostility symptoms.
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Acknowledgments
This project (04 T-580) was supported by Grants-in-Aid for the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan.
The authors acknowledge the following investigators participating in the study: Syozo Hoshino, M.D., Koichi Ozonoe, M.D., and Sumie Kikuchi, M.D., at Takeda General Hospital; Haruo Seno, M.D., at Aoba Hospital; Kenji Fukuda, M.D., at Konan Hospital; Kei Tamai, M.D., and Terumichi Takahashi, M.D., at Mihara Hospital; Taro Fukushima, M.D., at Matsuda Hospital; Yoshitaka Ishioka, M.D., Ken Mayahara, M.D., Keiko Nakano, M.D., at Hikarinooka Hospital; Masakuni Ikeda, M.D., Masaharu Sagawa, M.D., Hiroshi Saito, M.D., at Koigaoka Hospital; Yasushi Sasaki, at Miyoshi Hospital, M.D.; Hiroyuki Kodama, M.D., at Kodama Hospital; Koji Maeda, M.D., at Rifure Maeda Hospital; Kazuo Shiota, M.D., at Niihama Hospital; Naruhiko Maki, M.D., at Maki Hospital; Atumasa Edahiro M.D., at Toyookadai Hospital; Madoka Ogami, M.D., and Yuko Ichiki, M.D., at Kume Hospital; Akira Sasaki, M.D., at Saijo Dozen Hospital; Kentaro Kawabe, M.D., at Horie Hospital; Hirofumi Hosoe, M.D., at Akita Hospital; Dai Kuwakado, M.D., at Sakuragi Hospital; Humiaki Masuda, M.D., at Baba Hospital; Shigeki Kurayama, M.D., at Miyazaki Wakakusa Hospital; Takeshi Okamoto, M.D., at Iogaoka Hospital; Chikako Mizukoshi, M.D., at Okabe Hospital; Kazumi Hirata, M.D., at Sakuragaoka Hospital; Tsuyoshi Sugawa, M.D., at Kojin Hospital; Hirofumi Abe, M.D., at Shizuoka Mental Center Hospital; Naomi Ikegami, M.D., and Akinori Mizuno, M.D., at Shimizu Sunpu Hospital; and Kiminori Kawano, M.D., at Kaisei Hospital.
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Trial registration: controlled-trials.com identifier: UMIN000005018
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Miyaoka, T., Furuya, M., Horiguchi, J. et al. Efficacy and safety of yokukansan in treatment-resistant schizophrenia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (a Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, five-factor analysis). Psychopharmacology 232, 155–164 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-014-3645-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-014-3645-8