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Clinical Effects of Apomorphine in Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

I. N. Ferrer ,
E. C. Johnstone  and
T. J. Crow
I. N. Ferrer
Affiliation:
Wellcome Research Fellow and Honorary Senior Registrar
T. J. Crow
Affiliation:
Head of Division of Psychiatry and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Division of Psychiatry, Clinical Research Centre, Northwick Park Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 3UJ
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Summary

There have been reports that low doses of the dopamine-agonist apomorphine, which may inhibit dopamine neurotransmission, are of therapeutic benefit in schizophrenia. We conducted a placebo-controlled study of acute and chronic schizophrenics in which videotaped interviews were blindly rated. No specific therapeutic effect was demonstrated for apomorphine other than a reduction in anxiety in acute schizophrenics. Furthermore, there was no difference in the frequency of side-effects of apomorphine between schizophrenic patients and controls, and no specific effect of apomorphine on blink-rates. These findings emphasize the importance of placebo-controlled studies in schizophrenia research.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 144 , Issue 4 , April 1984 , pp. 341 - 348
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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