Does risperidone act better in schizophrenic patients who have a family or obstetric history?
PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of treatment with risperidone on psychopathological symptoms and cognitive deficits in schizophrenic patients, in relation to family history, obstetric complications and duration of the illness. METHODS: Fifty schizophrenic inpatients (29 males, 21 females), aged 16-50 (mean 28 years), with duration of the illness 1-15 (mean 4 years) who successfully completed a 3-month risperidone treatment were included into the study. Family history of psychiatric illness and the presence of obstetric complications were estimated by a semistructured questionnaire. Schizophrenic symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS). Cognitive abilities were measured by neuropsychological “frontal lobe” tests: Trail Making Test (TMT), part B, Stroop Color Word Interference Test, part B, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The clinical and neuropsychological evaluation was performed before and after 3 months of risperido
