@article{3147235,
    title = "Doubtful association of antipsychotic polypharmacy and high dosage with
cognition in chronic schizophrenia",
    author = "Kontis, Dimitrios and Theochari, Eirini and Kleisas, Spyridon and and Kalogerakou, Stamatina and Andreopoulou, Angeliki and Psaras, Rafael and and Makris, Yannis and Karouzos, Charalambos and Tsaltas, Eleftheria",
    journal = "Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry",
    year = "2010",
    volume = "34",
    number = "7",
    pages = "1333-1341",
    publisher = "PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD",
    issn = "0278-5846",
    doi = "10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.07.029",
    keywords = "CANTAB; Cognition; Excessive dosage; Polypharmacy; Schizophrenia",
    abstract = "Despite consistent recommendations for antipsychotic monotherapy,
antipsychotic polypharmacy (the use of two or more antipsychotic agents)
and the administration of excessive doses (higher than 1000 mgr/day of
chloropromazine equivalents) is a common practice in schizophrenia The
therapeutic and adverse effects of this practice are poorly studied, in
particular with regards to the cognitive symptoms of the disease In this
cross-sectional study we investigated the cognitive effects of
antipsychotic polypharmacy and excessive doses in 53 patients with
chronic schizophrenia using non-verbal cognitive tasks involving speed
of movement, memory and executive functions No significant difference in
performance scores was found between the groups under polypharmacy and
monotherapy, or the groups receiving either excessive or normal closes
of antipsychotics. Since these groups did not also differ in
demographic, clinical, other pharmacologic parameters, in the relative
anticholinergic potency of antipsychotics, or in intelligence scores, we
raise doubts about the association of polypharmacy and excessive doses
with non-verbal cognitive performance in chronic schizophrenia (C) 2010
Elsevier Inc All rights reserved"
}