An early improvement threshold to predict response and remission in first-episode schizophrenia

Vagus nerve stimulation in treatment-resistant depression: A one-year, randomized, sham-controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Few treatments are available for individuals with marked treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate the safety and effectiveness of FDA-approved adjunctive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in patients with marked TRD.

METHODS

This 12-month, multicenter, double-blind, sham-controlled trial included 493 adults with marked treatment-resistant major depression who were randomized to active or no-stimulation sham VNS for 12 months. The primary outcome was percent time in response across months 3-12, with response defined as a ≥50 % change from baseline on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Several secondary endpoints were evaluated.

RESULTS

Overall, 88.4 % of participants completed the trial. Percent time in MADRS response did not distinguish active from sham VNS. However, ratings from on-site clinicians (Clinical Global Inventory-Impression [CGI-I]), patients (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology-Self Report [QIDS-SR]), and offsite masked raters (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology-Clinician [QIDS-C]) revealed antidepressant benefits significantly favoring active VNS. Active VNS demonstrated significantly more percent time in response on the CGI-I (P = 0.004) and QIDS-SR (P = 0.049), and significantly more percent time in partial response (PR; symptom improvement ≥30 %) on the CGI-I (P < 0.001) and QIDS-C (P = 0.006) versus sham VNS. Active VNS exceeded sham VNS in rate of dyspnea (P = 0.035), a known side effect of VNS. No new adverse events were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Percent time in MADRS response did not distinguish the treatment groups, but on multiple instruments time in response and PR showed a positive treatment effect. VNS was found safe and effective in participants with marked TRD.

Leveraging Stacked Classifiers for Multi-task Executive Function in Schizophrenia Yields Diagnostic and Prognostic Insights

Cognitive impairment is a central characteristic of schizophrenia. Executive functioning (EF) impairments are often seen in mental disorders, particularly schizophrenia, where they relate to adverse outcomes. As a heterogeneous construct, how specifically each dimension of EF to characterize the diagnostic and prognostic aspects of schizophrenia remains opaque. We used classification models with a stacking approach on systematically measured EFs to discriminate 195 patients with schizophrenia from healthy individuals. Baseline EF measurements were moreover employed to predict symptomatically remitted or non-remitted prognostic subgroups. EF feature importance was determined at the group-level and the ensuing individual importance scores were associated with four symptom dimensions. EF assessments of inhibitory control (interference and response inhibitions), followed by working memory, evidently predicted schizophrenia diagnosis (area under the curve [AUC]=0.87) and remission status (AUC=0.81). The models highlighted the importance of interference inhibition or working memory updating in accurately identifying individuals with schizophrenia or those in remission. These identified patients had high-level negative symptoms at baseline and those who remitted showed milder cognitive symptoms at follow-up, without differences in baseline EF or symptom severity compared to non-remitted patients. Our work indicates that impairments in specific EF dimensions in schizophrenia are differentially linked to individual symptom-load and prognostic outcomes. Thus, assessments and models based on EF may be a promising tool that can aid in the clinical evaluation of this disorder.

Predicting treatment resistance in positive and negative symptom domains from first episode psychosis: Development of a clinical prediction model

BACKGROUND

Treatment resistance (TR) in schizophrenia may be defined by the persistence of positive and/or negative symptoms despite adequate treatment. Whilst previous investigations have focused on positive symptoms, negative symptoms are highly prevalent, impactful, and difficult to treat. In the current study we aimed to develop easily employable prediction models to predict TR in positive and negative symptom domains from first episode psychosis (FEP).

METHODS

Longitudinal cohort data from 1027 individuals with FEP was utilised. Using a robust definition of TR, n = 51 (4.97 %) participants were treatment resistant in the positive domain and n = 56 (5.46 %) treatment resistant in the negative domain 12 months after first presentation. 20 predictor variables, selected by existing evidence and availability in clinical practice, were entered into two LASSO regression models. We estimated the models using repeated nested cross-validation (NCV) and assessed performance using discrimination and calibration measures.

RESULTS

The prediction model for TR in the positive domain showed good discrimination (AUC = 0.72). Twelve predictor variables (male gender, cannabis use, age, positive symptom severity, depression and academic and social functioning) were retained by each outer fold of the NCV procedure, indicating importance in prediction of the outcome. However, our negative domain model failed to discriminate those with and without TR, with results only just over chance (AUC = 0.56).

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment resistance of positive symptoms can be accurately predicted from FEP using routinely collected baseline data, however prediction of negative domain-TR remains a challenge. Detailed negative symptom domains, clinical data, and biomarkers should be considered in future longitudinal studies.

Selected neuroendocrine factors as potential molecular biomarkers of early non-affective psychosis course in relation to treatment outcome: A pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to find whether the dysregulation of neuroendocrine biomarker signaling pathways in the first episode of non-affective psychosis is a predictive factor of treatment outcome. Patients with the first episode of non-affective psychosis (N = 29) were examined at admission, at discharge, and at follow-up (N = 23). The biomarkers included serum aldosterone, cortisol, free thyroxine, thyroid stimulating hormone, and prolactin. We revealed lower baseline aldosterone and higher baseline cortisol concentrations in patients with very good outcome compared to those with good outcome after one year. We failed to reveal any significant association between treatment outcome and neurohumoral biomarkers in the whole sample at 1-year follow-up. However, baseline aldosterone concentrations negatively correlated with total PANSS scores at the discharge. Lower baseline aldosterone and higher baseline cortisol concentrations have the potential to predict a more favorable outcome for patients with the first episode of psychosis.

Incidence and factors associated of early non-response in first-treatment and drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia: a real-world study

Background

Schizophrenia is a severe and persistent mental condition that causes disability. For subsequent clinical care, it is extremely practical to effectively differentiate between patients who respond to therapy quickly and those who do not. This study set out to document the prevalence and risk factors for patient early non-response.

Methods

The current study included 143 individuals with first-treatment and drug-naïve (FTDN) schizophrenia. Patients were classified as early non-responders based on a Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) score reduction of less than 20% after 2 weeks of treatment, otherwise as early responders. Clinical subgroups' differences in demographic data and general clinical data were compared, and variables related to early non-response to therapy were examined.

Results

Two weeks later, a total of 73 patients were described as early non-responders, with an incidence of 51.05%. The early non-response subgroup had significantly higher PANSS scores, Positive symptom subscale (PSS) scores, General psychopathology subscale (GPS) scores, Clinical global impression scale - severity of illness (CGI-SI) and Fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels compared to the early-response subgroup. CGI-SI and FBG were risk factors for early non-response.

Conclusion

High rates of early non-response have been seen in FTDN schizophrenia patients, and risk variables for predicting early non-response include CGI-SI scores and FBG levels. However, we need more in-depth studies to confirm the generalizable range of these two parameters.

Early Efficacy of Antipsychotic Medications at Week 2 Predicts Subsequent Responses at Week 6 in a Large-scale Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Since the early clinical efficacy of antipsychotics has not yet been well perceived, this study sought to decide whether the efficacy of antipsychotics at week 2 can predict subsequent responses at week 6 and identify how such predictive capacities vary among different antipsychotics and psychotic symptoms.

METHODS

A total of 3010 patients with schizophrenia enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and received a 6-week treatment with one antipsychotic drug randomly chosen from five atypical antipsychotics (risperidone 2-6 mg/d, olanzapine 5-20 mg/d, quetiapine 400-750 mg/d, aripiprazole 10-30 mg/d, and ziprasidone 80-160 mg/d) and two typical antipsychotics (perphenazine 20-60 mg/d and haloperidol 6-20 mg/d). Early efficacy was defined as the reduction rate using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score at week 2. With cut-offs at 50% reduction, logistic regression, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and random forests were adopted.

RESULTS

The reduction rate of PANSS total score and improvement of psychotic symptoms at week 2 enabled subsequent responses to 7 antipsychotics to be predicted, in which improvements in delusions, lack of judgment and insight, unusual thought content, and suspiciousness/ persecution were endowed with the greatest weight.

CONCLUSION

It is robust enough to clinically predict treatment responses to antipsychotics at week 6 using the reduction rate of PANSS total score and symptom relief at week 2. Psychiatric clinicians had better determine whether to switch the treatment plan by the first 2 weeks.

Further evidence that antipsychotic medication does not prevent long-term psychosis in higher-risk individuals

OBJECTIVE

Although existing guidelines have discouraged use of antipsychotics for general clinical high-risk (CHR) individuals, it is unclear if antipsychotics can prevent psychosis in higher-risk population. We aimed to study the comparative real-world effectiveness of antipsychotic treatments for preventing psychosis in higher-risk CHR individuals.

METHODS

A total of 300 CHR individuals were identified using the structured interview for prodromal syndromes (SIPS) and followed the participants for 3 years. In total, 228(76.0%) individuals completed baseline assessments using the NAPLS-2 risk calculator (NAPLS-2-RC), and 210(92.1%) completed the follow-up. The sample was further stratified according to risk level. "Higher-risk" was defined based on the NAPLS-2-RC risk score (≥ 20%) and SIPS positive symptom total scores (≥ 10). The main outcome was conversion to psychosis and poor functional outcomes, defined as a global assessment of function (GAF) score lower than 60 at follow-up.

RESULTS

In higher-risk CHR individuals, we found no significant difference in the rate of conversion to psychosis or poor functional outcomes between the antipsychotic and no-antipsychotic groups. Low-risk individuals treated with antipsychotic drugs were more likely exhibit poor functional outcomes compared with the no-antipsychotics group(NAPLS-2-RC estimated risk: χ² = 8.330, p = 0.004; Positive symptom severity: χ² = 12.997, p < 0.001). No significant effective factors were identified for prevention of the conversion to psychosis; conversely, CHR individuals who were treated with high dose antipsychotics (olanzapine, aripiprazole) showed a significantly increased risk of poor functional outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

In CHR individuals, antipsychotic treatment should be provided with caution because of the risk of poor functional outcomes. Further, antipsychotic treatment does not appear to prevent onset of psychosis in real-world settings.

Preliminary efficacy and tolerability profiles of first versus second-generation Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics in schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of second generation (SG) long-acting antipsychotics (LAIAs) versus first generation (FG) LAIAs in schizophrenia. We conducted a comprehensive search in PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO until May 2019. Inclusion criteria for randomized trials included: (1) patients ≥18 years with schizophrenia, (2) efficacy evaluated through the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), (3) safety assessment through clinimetry, laboratory analysis, somatometry or adverse events, and (4) treatment duration ≥12 weeks. Data was synthesized using mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes and risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous outcomes using a random-effect model. Of 1872 citations, 17 trials were included, and direct comparisons of SG vs FG-LAIAs were observed in 3 (n = 459). SG and FG-LAIAs had similar effects on PANSS scores (MD -1.35; 95% CI -8.33-5.64), tardive dyskinesia (RR 0.99; 95% CI, 0.47-2.07), all-cause discontinuation (RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.75-1.36), discontinuation due to inadequate efficacy (RR 1.13; 95% CI 0.81-1.59) or adverse events (RR 1.08; 95% CI 0.55-2.11). SG-LAIAs reduced the risk of using antiparkinsonian drugs (RR 0.54; 95% CI 0.54-0.76) but significantly increased serum prolactin, weight and BMI. For long-term management, depot preparations of paliperidone, haloperidol, risperidone and fluphenazine were equally effective at symptom control and adherence, with significant differences in their safety profiles. These results however are considerably limited due to the small number of included studies and are therefore preliminary, not generalizable. More clinical trials are required to obtain a broader perspective of SG-LAIAs compared to FG-LAIAs.

Early treatment response in first episode psychosis: a 7-T magnetic resonance spectroscopic study of glutathione and glutamate

Early response to antipsychotic medications is one of the most important determinants of later symptomatic and functional outcomes in psychosis. Glutathione and glutamate have emerged as promising therapeutic targets for patients demonstrating inadequate response to dopamine-blocking antipsychotics. Nevertheless, the role of these neurochemicals in the mechanism of early antipsychotic response remains poorly understood. Using a longitudinal design and ultrahigh field 7-T magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) protocol in 53 subjects, we report the association between dorsal anterior cingulate cortex glutamate and glutathione, with time to treatment response in drug naive (34.6% of the sample) or minimally medicated first episode patients with schizophreniform disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. Time to response was defined as the number of weeks required to reach a 50% reduction in the PANSS-8 scores. Higher glutathione was associated with shorter time to response (F = 4.86, P = 0.017), while higher glutamate was associated with more severe functional impairment (F = 5.33, P = 0.008). There were no significant differences between patients and controls on measures of glutamate or glutathione. For the first time, we have demonstrated an association between higher glutathione and favorable prognosis in FEP. We propose that interventions that increase brain glutathione levels may improve outcomes of early intervention in psychosis.

Predictors of remission during acute treatment of first-episode schizophrenia patients involuntarily hospitalized and treated with algorithm-based pharmacotherapy: Secondary analysis of an observational study

AIM

Early clinical response predicts symptomatic remission and recovery in the maintenance treatment phase of first-episode schizophrenia (FES). However, little is known about predictors of symptomatic remission during acute treatment of severely ill patients with FES. Here, we conducted a secondary analysis of our retrospective observational study, which examined response, remission and treatment-resistance rates in seriously ill patients with FES spectrum disorders involuntarily hospitalized and treated with algorithm-based pharmacotherapy.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective chart review of 131 involuntarily admitted patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Our algorithm aimed to delay olanzapine treatment, standardize medications and suggest initiation of clozapine after failure of third-line antipsychotic treatment. The duration of each adequate antipsychotic treatment at an optimal dosage was 4 weeks or more. Remission was defined using the symptom-severity component of consensus remission criteria. A logistic regression model was applied to identify significant predictors of remission at discharge.

RESULTS

Overall, 74 patients (56%) were in remission at discharge. Non-remitters were hampered from becoming remitters mainly by the presence of negative symptoms. There were no differences in first-line antipsychotics, dosage of antipsychotics at time of response and adherence rates to algorithm-based pharmacotherapy between remitters and non-remitters. Shorter duration of untreated psychosis, favourable early response and less negative symptoms at baseline were identified as independent predictors of remission at discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

The importance of early intervention and specific and adequate treatments of negative symptoms is highlighted.

Real-world effectiveness of antipsychotic monotherapy and polytherapy in 1543 patients with acute-phase schizophrenia

PURPOSE

The effectiveness of antipsychotic treatments in the acute phase of schizophrenia in actual clinical practice remains somewhat unclear. Therefore, the purpose of the present naturalistic, multi-center study conducted from 1 year starting in September 2017 was to examine the response rate to an initial or second antipsychotic in newly admitted patients with acute-phase schizophrenia, as well as the response rate and quality of augmentation with two antipsychotics in patients who failed to respond to both the initial and second antipsychotics.

RESULTS

In total, there were 660 (42.8%) and 243 (15.7%) responders to an initial and a second antipsychotic, respectively; thus, 58.5% of all patients were responders to an initial or second antipsychotic. Among 581 nonresponders (37.7%), the initial antipsychotic or a third antipsychotic was added to the second antipsychotic. Among these patients, 89.8% showed a Clinical Global Impression-Improvement score ≤3 (from 'minimally improved' to 'very much improved'). The rates of adverse events such as hyperglycemia, hyper-low-density lipoprotein cholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperprolactinemia, QTc prolongation, and extrapyramidal symptoms were not high in patients receiving augmentation with two antipsychotics compared with all patients, and no serious adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSION

Antipsychotic augmentation may be an option in acute-phase treatment for patients who do not respond to either an initial or a second antipsychotic.

Early predictors of poor treatment response in patients with schizophrenia treated with atypical antipsychotics

BACKGROUND

The aims of this study were to explore the relationship between early reduction in psychotic symptoms and the ultimate response in patients with schizophrenia treated by atypical antipsychotics, and to determine the best time to switch or maitain the regimen. We also explore the possible predictors for the clinical response.

METHODS

One hundred eleven inpatients with acutely exacerbated schizophrenia were randomized to give optimal therapy of olanzapine, risperidone, and paliperidone in one-week run-in period and 12 weeks' intervention. All participants were assessed using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Early Response, defined as reduction of 25% in PANSS score, was examined at weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8, and these ratings were used to predict ultimate response (25% PANSS reduction) at week 12. We hypothesized that early treatment response at Week 1 or 2 could predict Week 12's treatment outcome.

RESULTS

The early treatment response at Week 2 had a greater negative prediction value (NPV, 93.6%) than did the response at Week 1 (NPV, 69.7%), Week 3 (NPV, 91.5%), Week 4 (NPV, 90.7%) and Week 8 (NPV, 87.2%). The positive predictive value became more acceptable (65%) until Week 4. There was no any other potential predictors, including types of antipsychotics medication and treatment dosage, were associated with ultimate response in this study.

CONCLUSION

The treatment non-response at Week 2 optimally predicted the ultimate (Week 12) non-response, in terms of negative predictive value (NPV). These finding suggests that the revision of treatment strategy should be considered t if patients with schizophrenia was not responsive to them after 2 weeks' treatment, and for those who are responders at Week 2, another two weeks are needed to further evaluate whether they will be continuously responsive.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT03730857 at ClinicalTrial.gov . Date of registration: 30/Oct/2018.

First-episode psychosis in treatment-resistant schizophrenia: a cross-sectional study of a long-term follow-up cohort

BACKGROUND

Approximately one-third of schizophrenia patients eventually develop treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Although the time course of TRS development varies from patient to patient, the details of these variations have not been clarified. The present study compared the duration of time required to achieve control of the first-episode psychosis (FEP) between patients who went on to develop TRS and those who did not, in order to determine whether a bifurcation point exists for the transition to TRS.

METHODS

The present study included 271 schizophrenia patients. Based on the clinical assessment, each patient was assigned to a TRS (n = 79) or Non-TRS group (n = 182). Clinical factors relating to FEP treatment such as the duration of initial hospital admission and the degree of improvement were retrospectively identified.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in the duration of initial hospital admission (defined as the time from treatment introduction to successful discharge) between the two groups (mean of 87.9 days for TRS vs. 53.3 days for Non-TRS). The degree of improvement during initial hospital admission of the TRS group was significantly lower than that of the Non-TRS group (Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) of 50 points for TRS vs. 61 points for Non-TRS). Approximately half of the TRS patients showed an acute onset pattern and longer hospital admission (mean 169 days) for their FEP. The other half of TRS patients needed no hospital admission, indicating an insidious onset pattern with no clear psychotic episode and treatment introduction without hospital admission.

CONCLUSIONS

Future TRS patients can have difficulty in improvement during their FEP. There appear to be two distinct patterns for the development of TRS. One pattern is characterized by refractory positive symptoms and a longer period to control the first psychosis; the other shows latent or insidious onset and poor response to the initial treatment.

A Pilot Study of the Usefulness of a Single Olanzapine Plasma Concentration as an Indicator of Early Drug Effect in a Small Sample of First-Episode Psychosis Patients

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND

Studies analyzing concentration-effect relationships in second-generation antipsychotics have reported contradictory results in chronic schizophrenia. No data are available for the early stages of the disease. The present study aims to evaluate the association between a single olanzapine plasma concentration, clinical response, and severity of adverse effects in first-episode psychosis (FEP); to test the utility of various plasma breakpoints as markers of early response to treatment; and to identify variables affecting olanzapine concentrations.

METHODS

Data from 23 compliant FEP patients receiving olanzapine monotherapy (5-30 mg/d) were evaluated 2 months after beginning treatment. Clinical symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale. Adverse effects were rated using the Udvalg for Kliniske Undersøgelser scale. Plasma samples were drawn at 11 (SD, 1) hours after dosing and analyzed with high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

FINDINGS

Consistent with findings on chronic disease, dose, age, sex, weight, and cigarettes/day accounted for some of the variability in olanzapine concentrations. While no relationship was found between olanzapine concentrations and adverse effects or improvement of depressive symptoms, response of psychotic symptoms was associated with concentrations between 22.56 and 77.92 ng/mL. Plasma breakpoints did not show sufficiently high specificity, resulting in a large number of false-positive results.

IMPLICATIONS

Although olanzapine concentrations do not seem to be reliable indicators of early drug effect in FEP, they may still prove useful for detecting noncompliance, as well as pharmacokinetically relevant comorbidities or genetic particularities in drug metabolism.

Duration of untreated psychosis and acute remission of negative symptoms in a South American first-episode psychosis cohort

AIM

To determine the association between duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and symptoms remission in a hospitalized first-episode psychosis cohort.

METHODS

Inpatients with a first-episode non-affective psychosis were recruited. Subjects were divided into two groups of long and short DUP using a 3-month cut-off point, and this was related to remission at 10 weeks of treatment. Multivariate analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Fifty-five inpatients were included. There were no differences in remission rates of positive symptoms. Up to 76.5% of the patients with a short DUP (<3 months) achieved remission of negative symptoms versus 31.6% in the DUP ≥ 3 months group (P = 0.003). After controlling for relevant factors, patients with a shorter DUP were still three times more likely to achieve negative symptoms remission (HR: 3.04, 95% CI 1.2-7.5).

CONCLUSIONS

DUP is a prognostic factor that should be considered at an early stage to identify a 'high risk' subgroup of persistent negative symptoms.

Early predictors of a clinical response at 8 weeks in patients with first-episode psychosis treated with paliperidone ER

Identification of early clinical markers that predict later treatment outcomes in first-episode psychosis is highly valuable. The present study was conducted to determine the best time at which to predict the late treatment response in first-episode psychosis patients treated with paliperidone extended release (ER), the factors predicting early treatment responses (at Week 2 and Week 3) and the relationships between the paliperidone ER plasma concentrations at Week 2 and Week 3, and the treatment responses at Week 2, Week 3 and Week 8. Various criteria for assessing treatment response were employed. We determined the plasma paliperidone concentrations at Week 2 and Week 3, using validated high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The treatment response at Week 3 optimally predicted the later (Week 8) response, in terms of negative predictive value (NPV). Independent predictors for good treatment responses at Week 2 and Week 3 were: Female gender, a higher educational level, a higher Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) excited score, and/or a shorter duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). The plasma paliperidone concentration at Week 3, but not Week 2, was a significant predictor of the late treatment response at Week 8. These results may help appropriate clinical decision-making for early non-responders after having their first episode of psychosis.

Early response or nonresponse at week 2 and week 3 predict ultimate response or nonresponse in adolescents with schizophrenia treated with olanzapine: results from a 6-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial

In adults with schizophrenia, early response/non-response (ER/ENR) to antipsychotics at 2 weeks robustly predicts ultimate response/non-response (UR/UNR). However, less data about the predictive value of ER/ENR exist in adolescents with schizophrenia. Post hoc analysis of a 6-week trial in adolescents aged 13-17 with schizophrenia were randomized 2:1 to olanzapine or placebo. ER was defined as ≥20 % reduction in Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-children (BPRS-C) total score at week 2 (ER2) or 3 (ER3); UR was defined with increasing stringency as total BPRS-C score reduction ≥20, ≥30, ≥40 or ≥50 %; remission was defined cross-sectionally using Andreasen et al. (2005) criteria. By week 2 (n = 69) and 3 (n = 66), olanzapine-treated youth achieved 73.3 and 85.5 % of their overall BPRS-C score reduction at 6 weeks last observation carried forward. ER and ENR patients did not differ significantly regarding baseline demographic, illness and treatment variables. ER 2 (frequency = 68.1 %) and ER 3 (frequency = 65.2 %) significantly predicted UR and remission (p = 0.0044-p < 0.0001), with ER3 having more predictive power. A ≥ 20 % BPRS-C reduction threshold for ER had best predictive validity (area under the curve = 0.88-0.92). At 6 weeks, patients with ER had significantly greater improvements in BPRS-C, Clinical Global Impressions Improvement and Severity scores, greater cross-sectional remission and less all-cause discontinuation (p = 0.047-p < 0.0001). Adverse event profiles were similar in the ER and ENR groups. Adolescents with schizophrenia experienced the majority of symptomatic improvement early during olanzapine treatment. ER predicted UR and remission, with ER3 having best predictive power. A ≥ 20 % improvement threshold for defining ER was confirmed as a robust outcome indicator.

Early treatment response predicted subsequent clinical response in patients with schizophrenia taking paliperidone extended-release

This 6-week open-labeled study investigated whether early treatment response in patients receiving paliperidone extended-release (paliperidone ER) can facilitate prediction of responses at Week 6. Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were administered 9mg/day of paliperidone ER during the first 2 weeks, after which the dose was adjusted clinically. They were assessed on Days 0, 4, 7, 14, 28, and 42 by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The serum concentrations of 9-hydroxyrisperidone were examined on Days 14 and 42. Among the 41 patients enrolled, 26 were classified as responders (≧50% improvement on total PANSS scores at Week 6). In the receiver-operator curves (ROC) analyses, the changes in total PANSS scores at Week 2 appeared to show more accurate predictability compared to Day 4 and Day 7. At Week 6, no significant correlation was observed between blood 9-hydroxyrisperidone concentration and the total score or changes of PANSS scores. The results suggest that early treatment response to paliperidone ER, particularly at Week 2, can serve as a suitable outcome predictor at Week 6. Using 9mg/day paliperidone ER as an initial dose for schizophrenia treatment exhibited relatively favorable tolerability and feasibility.

Practical pharmacotherapy for acute schizophrenia patients

Well-organized clinical guidelines of pharmacotherapy for schizophrenia are not necessarily applicable to emergency and acute-phase situations. Thus, practical pharmacotherapy for acute schizophrenia patients should be based on data from real clinical practice and be independent of pharmaceutical companies. This study investigated the current guidelines being used to determine the initially preferred antipsychotics, durations required before an antipsychotic is viewed as being ineffective, and the strategies utilized for early non-responders that include switching, high dose, and augmentation. In patients who develop side-effects to the preferred antipsychotic drug, continued use may depend on the specific characteristics of the side-effects. For acute-phase patients, antipsychotics with high efficacy and effectiveness may be chosen based on meta-analysis findings for not only double-blinded but also rater-blinded randomized controlled trials. Many previous studies have reported being able to make an early prediction at 2 weeks regarding the later response. These predictions were supported by the findings of a recent meta-analysis of 34 studies that examined 9975 participants. In early non-responders to the initial antipsychotic, the effectiveness of the switching strategy appears to depend on the initial antipsychotic administered and the antipsychotic the patient is subsequently switched to. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the strategy between switching and augmentation might also depend on the initial antipsychotic administered. The current findings might serve as the basis for the use of dosing above the licensed range versus continuing the use of conventional dosing in non-responders, provided there is close monitoring of the side-effects. Further research is required before any modifications of routine practices are undertaken regarding the direction of new potential treatments.

Predicting functional remission in patients with schizophrenia: a cross-sectional study of symptomatic remission, psychosocial remission, functioning, and clinical outcome

BACKGROUND

New approaches to assess outcome in schizophrenia include multidimensional measures such as remission, cognition, psychosocial functioning, and quality of life. Clinical and psychosocial measures have been recently introduced to assess functional outcome.

OBJECTIVE

The study presented here was designed to examine the rates of symptomatic remission, psychosocial remission, global functioning, and clinical global impressions in a sample of schizophrenia outpatients in order to assess functional remission and to identify predictive factors for functional remission.

METHODS

A total of 168 consecutive Mexican outpatients receiving pharmacological treatment at the National Institute of Psychiatry in Mexico City were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Symptomatic remission was assessed according to the definition and criteria proposed by the Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group using the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale. Psychosocial remission was assessed according to Barak criteria using the Psychosocial Remission in Schizophrenia scale. Functioning was measured with the Global Assessment of Functioning, and clinical outcome with the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) Scale.

RESULTS

Findings showed that 45.2% of patients fulfilled the symptomatic remission criteria, 32.1% achieved psychosocial remission, and 53% reported adequate functioning. However, the combination of these three outcome criteria - symptomatic, psychosocial remission, and functioning - indicated that 14.9% of the patients achieved our predefined functional remission outcome. The logistic regression model included five predictive variables for functional remission: (1) being employed, (2) use of atypical antipsychotics, (3) lower number of medications, (4) lower negative symptom severity, and (5) lower excitement symptom severity.

CONCLUSION

The study demonstrated that symptomatic remission, psychosocial remission, and functioning could be achievable goals for a considerable number of patients. The outcome of functional remission was achieved by a minority of patients, less than 15%. New approaches should include multidimensional measures to assess functional outcome in schizophrenia research.

Trajectories of antipsychotic response in drug-naive schizophrenia patients: results from the 6-month ESPASS follow-up study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore any heterogeneity in the 6-month clinical response in patients with antipsychotic drug-naive schizophrenia and to determine predictors of that outcome.

METHOD

467 patients with antipsychotic drug-naive schizophrenia were included in France nationwide and followed up over 6 months. To identify trajectories of clinical response, a latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was performed using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scores at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months. Regression models were used to identify predictors of trajectory membership.

RESULTS

Five trajectory groups were identified: a rapid response group (n = 45), a gradual response group (n = 204), patients remaining mildly ill (n = 133), patients remaining very ill (n = 23), and a group with unsustained clinical response (n = 62). Predictors of the 6-month clinical response were baseline CGI-S score (odds ratio: 3.1; 95% confidence interval, 2.1-4.4) and negative symptoms (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.2-1.9). The sole predictor of rapid response as compared to gradual response was employment (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.2-4.9).

CONCLUSION

Clinical response in patients with schizophrenia 6 months after a first-ever antipsychotic drug initiation is heterogeneous. Therapeutic strategies in first episode should take account of symptom severity and early clinical response, to maximize the chances of recovery.

Early nonresponse determined by the clinical global impressions scale predicts poorer outcomes in youth with schizophrenia spectrum disorders naturalistically treated with second-generation antipsychotics

OBJECTIVE

The use of early response/nonresponse (ER/ENR) to antipsychotics as a predictor for ultimate response/nonresponse (UR/UNR) may help decrease inefficacious treatment continuation. However, data have been limited to adults, and ER/ENR has only been determined using time-consuming psychopathology rating scales. In the current study, we assessed if early improvement on the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) scale predicted UR/UNR in psychiatrically ill youth started on antipsychotic treatment.

METHODS

Seventy-nine youth aged 6-19 years, with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, treated naturalistically with aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, or ziprasidone and evaluated monthly, were divided into ER/ENR groups at week 4, using at least "minimally improved" on the CGI-I scale. Prediction using week 4 ER/ENR status for UR (CGI-I=at least "much improved"), effectiveness and adverse effect outcomes at 8-12 weeks were assessed.

RESULTS

At 4 weeks, 45.6% of subjects were ER and 54.4% were ENR without differences regarding baseline demographic, illness, and treatment variables, except for higher age (p=0.034) and maximum risperidone dose (p=0.0043) in ENR. ER/ENR status at 4 weeks predicted UR/UNR at week 12 significantly (p<0.0001): Sensitivity=68.9%, specificity=85.3%, positive predictive value=86.1%, negative predictive value=67.4%. At weeks 4, 8, and 12, ER patients improved significantly more on the CGI-I, CGI-Severity, and Children's Global Assessment of Functioning scales, and more ER patients reached UR compared with ENR patients (83.3% vs. 34.9%, all p<0.0001). ENR patients had more extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) at weeks 4, 8, and 12 (p=0.0019-0.0079). UR was independently associated with ER (odds ratio [OR]=18.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]=4.71-91.68, p<0.0001) and psychosis not otherwise specified (NOS) (OR=4.82 [CI: 1.31-21.41], p=0.017) (r(2)=0.273, p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Older age and EPS were associated with ENR; ENR and schizophrenia were associated with UNR in naturalistically treated youth with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Early CGI-I-based treatment decisions require further consideration and study.

Antipsychotic response in first-episode schizophrenia: efficacy of high doses and switching

Clinicians treating schizophrenia routinely employ high doses and/or antipsychotic switching to achieve response. However, little is actually known regarding the value of these interventions in early schizophrenia. Data were gathered from a treatment algorithm implemented in patients with first-episode schizophrenia that employs two antipsychotic trials at increasing doses before clozapine. Patients were initially treated with either olanzapine or risperidone across three dose ranges, (low, full, high), and in the case of suboptimal response were switched to the alternate antipsychotic. We were interested in the value of (a) high dose treatment and (b) antipsychotic switching. A total of 244 patients were evaluated, with 74.5% (184/244) responsive to Trial 1, and only 16.7% (10/60) responsive to Trial 2. Percentage of response for subjects switched from olanzapine to risperidone was 4.0% (1/25) vs. 25.7% (9/35) for those switched from risperidone to olanzapine. High doses yielded a 15.5% response (14.6% for risperidone vs. 16.7% for olanzapine).The present findings concur with other research indicating that response rate to the initial antipsychotic trial in first-episode schizophrenia is robust; thereafter it declines notably. In general, the proportion of responders to antipsychotic switching and high dose interventions was low. For both strategies olanzapine proved superior to risperidone, particularly in the case of antipsychotic switching (i.e. risperidone to olanzapine vs. vice versa). It remains to be established whether further antipsychotic trials are associated with even greater decrements in rate of response. Findings underscore the importance of moving to clozapine when treatment resistance has been established.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy measures related to short-term symptomatic outcome in chronic schizophrenia

INTRODUCTION

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H MRS) enables the evaluation of in vivo brain function. The purpose of the study was to compare ¹H MRS measurements in schizophrenic patients, who were clinical responders after short-term antipsychotic treatment, with non-responders and healthy controls.

METHODS

We investigated a group of 47 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Patients were examined twice--once after a period of at least 7 days without neuroleptics and the second time at least 4 weeks after therapy with stable doses of medication. The follow-up was available in 42 patients. Baseline MRS measurements of clinical responders were compared with non-responders and the group of healthy controls (N=26). We assessed the following metabolite ratios: NAA (N-acetylaspartate), Glx (complex of GABA, glutamine and glutamate), Cho (choline) and mI (myo-inositol) to creatinine (Cr) in the left frontal and temporal lobes and the thalamus.

RESULTS

Responders showed a significantly lower baseline frontal Glx/Cr level than non-responders. Both groups had a significantly lower NAA/Cr ratio in the frontal lobe than the controls, but only non-responders had a significantly lower NAA/Cr ratio in the thalamus.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results confirm the relationship between the glutamatergic system and pathophysiology of schizophrenia and suggest a significant value of ¹H MRS examination in the assessment of the future treatment effect.

The concurrent and predictive validity of symptomatic remission criteria in first-episode schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

Since the introduction of consensus criteria for symptomatic remission in 2005, most first-episode studies focused on cross-sectional relationship between remission status and functional outcome. Predictive validity of the proposed remission definition was under-studied. Relationship of remission with subjective quality of life (QoL) was inadequately addressed with inconsistent findings being observed.

METHOD

One hundred and four Hong Kong Chinese aged 18 to 55years presenting with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder were studied. Socio-demographics, baseline clinical and functioning profiles were obtained. Psychopathological and functional reassessments were conducted at 6, 12 and 24months. Subjective QoL was measured at 12 and 24months. Symptomatic remission was operationally defined according to the consensus criteria developed by the Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group (RSWG), comprising both symptom-severity and 6-month duration components.

RESULTS

At 12months, 59.6% of patients achieved symptomatic remission. Remitted patients had significantly lower symptom severity, more favorable psychosocial functioning and better subjective QoL at 12months than non-remitted counterparts. Attainment of remission at 12months was significantly associated with fewer positive, negative, depressive and disorganization symptoms, higher levels of functioning and subjective QoL at 24months. Linear regression analysis indicated that remission status independently predicted functional outcome even when the effects of educational level, baseline functioning and negative symptom scores were controlled for.

CONCLUSION

The operationally defined symptomatic remission formulated by the RSWG represented a clinically valid construct that was found to be closely related to both concurrent and longitudinal outcomes on psychopathology, functioning and subjective QoL in the early stage of schizophrenia.

Optimizing the early prediction model for symptomatic remission with short-term treatment for schizophrenia

Remission seems achievable for a portion of schizophrenic patients. This study aimed to identify the early predictors for remission and to establish an optimal prediction model. One hundred thirty-five acutely ill schizophrenic inpatients received 150-mg/d zotepine treatment for 4 weeks. Psychopathologic severity was assessed weekly using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Symptomatic remission was defined according to the consensus criteria proposed by Andreasen et al. Backward stepwise logistic regression model was used to obtain the early predictors. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the cutoff point of predictors. The study was conducted from June 2004 to April 2005. Twenty-one (21.0%) of 100 completers remitted after 4 weeks of treatment. The most influential predictors for ultimate remission were percentage of BPRS score reduction at week 2 and BPRS remission-items score at week 2. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale score reduction at week 2 of 35% and BPRS remission-items score of 18 at week 2 seemed to be the optimal cutoff points. They provided a sensitivity of 62% and 84% and a specificity of 86% and 65%. Patients with less than a 35% BPRS score reduction and a BPRS remission-items score larger than 18 during the first 2 weeks of treatment were unlikely to reach a final remission. Whether the finding can be extrapolated to other validated assessment scales and other antipsychotics require further studies.

Treatment Response in First-episode Schizophrenia

First episode schizophrenia (FES) patients tend to be more responsive to treatment. An adequate response has been associated with a favourable long-term course in FES patients. Yet, despite the generally very favourable response profile around one quarter of the patients shows persisting symptoms of psychosis. To improve the outcome and course of psychosis great effort has emerged in identifying biological and clinical variables associated with non-response in order to identify non-responders as early as possible and adopt specific treatment strategies improving illness outcome. Different antipsychotic treatment regimens have been evaluated in terms of their efficacy in reducing symptoms of FES with psychological interventions gaining increasing importance in the treatment concept of patients suffering from their first illness episode. Therefore, aim of this review is to summarize current evidence on the response patterns, the most important predictors of response/non-response as well as on effective treatment interventions in FES patients.

Is the PANSS used correctly? a systematic review

BACKGROUND

The PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) is one of the most important rating instruments for patients with schizophrenia. Nevertheless, there is a long and ongoing debate in the psychiatric community regarding its mathematical properties.All 30 items range from 1 to 7 leading to a minimum total score of 30, implying that the PANSS is an interval scale. For such interval scales straightforward calculation of relative changes is not appropriate. To calculate outcome criteria based on a percent change as, e.g., the widely accepted response criterion, the scale has to be transformed into a ratio scale beforehand. Recent publications have already pointed out the pitfall that ignoring the scale level (interval vs. ratio scale) leads to a set of mathematical problems, potentially resulting in erroneous results concerning the efficacy of the treatment.

METHODS

A Pubmed search based on the PRISMA statement of the highest-ranked psychiatric journals (search terms "PANSS" and "response") was carried out. All articles containing percent changes were included and methods of percent change calculation were analysed.

RESULTS

This systematic literature research shows that the majority of authors (62%) actually appear to use incorrect calculations. In most instances the method of calculation was not described in the manuscript.

CONCLUSIONS

These alarming results underline the need for standardized procedures for PANSS calculations.

Early improvement on antipsychotic treatment as a predictor of subsequent response in schizophrenia: analyses from ziprasidone clinical studies

OBJECTIVE

We examine data from short-term placebo-controlled and comparator-controlled clinical trials of ziprasidone in schizophrenia to confirm the predictive capacity of early symptom changes for response. We pose the question of how early is too early to consider "stay or switch" and evaluate the predictive capability of a clinical measure in this regard.

METHODS

We presented two separate pooled analyses of (i) two placebo-controlled and (ii) two active comparator (risperidone and olanzapine) randomized trials of ziprasidone in schizophrenia. Relationship between early changes in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scores and treatment outcome was evaluated.

RESULTS

Week 2 improvement was more reliably predictive of subsequent outcome than week 1 improvement using PANSS and BPRS scores with high sensitivity and specificity, whereas CGI-I had much lower specificity. Overall, non-improvement at week 1 or week 2 was highly predictive of non-response using BPRS scores and PANSS but not CGI-I.

CONCLUSIONS

These data, independent of antipsychotic used, confirm prior research showing that early improvement in symptoms is predictive of response. There appears to be an important window of time, beyond week 1, during which important clinical decisions to stay or switch medication may be made.

Predictors of response and remission in the acute treatment of first-episode schizophrenia patients--is it all about early response?

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the predictive validity of early response compared to other well-known predictor variables in acutely ill first-episode patients.

METHODS

112 patients were treated with a mean dosage of 4.14 mg (±1.70) haloperidol and 112 patients with a mean dosage of 4.17 mg (±1.55) risperidone for a mean inpatient treatment duration of 42.92 days (±16.85) within a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Early response was defined as a ≥ 30% improvement in the PANSS total score by week 2, response as a ≥ 50% reduction in the PANSS total score from admission to discharge and remission according to the consensus criteria. Univariate tests and logistic regression models were applied to identify significant predictors of response and remission.

RESULTS

52% of the patients were responders and 59% remitters at discharge. Non-remitters at discharge were hindered from becoming remitters mainly by the presence of negative symptoms. Univariate tests revealed several significant differences between responders/non-responders and remitters/non-remitters such as age, severity of baseline psychopathology as well as the frequency of early response. Both early response (p<0.0001) and a higher PANSS positive subscore at admission (p=0.0002) were identified as significant predictors of response at discharge, whereas a shorter duration of untreated psychosis (p=0.0167), a lower PANSS general psychopathology subscore (p<0.0001), and early treatment response (p=0.0002) were identified as significant predictors of remission.

CONCLUSION

Together with the finding that early response is a significant predictor of response and remission, the relevance and predictive validity of negative and depressive symptoms for outcome is also highlighted.

The concepts of remission and recovery in schizophrenia

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Until recently outcome studies in schizophrenia lacked standardized measures, and outcome expectations were generally pessimistic. The Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group (RSWG) published operationalized criteria for symptomatic remission in 2005. These criteria have been extensively applied in research settings and have stimulated research into other components of outcome, particularly functional outcome and quality of life. Attention has also shifted beyond remission to the more difficult to attain and complex concept of recovery. The purpose of this review is to examine recent studies on these topics and to assess whether progress has been made towards a broader definition of remission and recovery.

RECENT FINDINGS

Reported remission rates vary widely across studies (17-88%). Patients in remission do better than their nonremitted counterparts in several other outcome domains. Predictors of remission include early treatment response, and baseline symptom severity and subjective well being. Patients move in and out of remission over time. At present, there is no consensus on methods of measuring other outcome domains, particularly functional status and quality of life.

SUMMARY

The RSWG remission criteria are easy to apply and define an achievable and desirable treatment goal. Measures of social and occupational functional outcome, quality of life and cognitive status need to be further developed and standardized before remission and recovery criteria can be more broadly defined.

Do we have any solid evidence of clinical utility about the pathophysiology of schizophrenia?

A diagnosis of schizophrenia, as in most of psychiatric practice, is made largely by eliciting symptoms with reference to subjective, albeit operationalized, criteria. This diagnosis then provides some rationale for management. Objective diagnostic and therapeutic tests are much more desirable, provided they are reliably measured and interpreted. Definite advances have been made in our understanding of schizophrenia in recent decades, but there has been little consideration of how this information could be used in clinical practice. We review here the potential utility of the strongest and best replicated risk factors for and manifestations of schizophrenia within clinical, epidemiological, cognitive, blood biomarker and neuroimaging domains. We place particular emphasis on the sensitivity, specificity and predictive power of pathophysiological indices for making a diagnosis, establishing an early diagnosis or predicting treatment response in schizophrenia. We conclude that a number of measures currently available have the potential to increase the rigour of clinical assessments in schizophrenia. We propose that the time has come to more fully evaluate these and other well replicated abnormalities as objective potential diagnostic and prognostic guides, and to steer future clinical, therapeutic and nosological research in this direction.