Treatment of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) Enhancers for Schizophrenia
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2013-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Hypofunction of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor has been implicated in the
pathophysiology of schizophrenia. To date, several reported trials on adjuvant NMDA-enhancing
agents, including glycine and sarcosine (a glycine transporter I inhibitor), demonstrated
clinical benefits for schizophrenia patients. This project aims to compare the efficacy and
safety of sarcosine and combination of sarcosine and BE, as adjunctive therapy for
schizophrenia, and to explore the possible synergistic effects of them. Sixty chronic
schizophrenic inpatients will be enrolled in the 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled
trial. The participants receive stable antipsychotic regimens concomitant with sarcosine (2
g/d) (N=21), sarcosine(2 g/d) + BE(1 g/d ) (N=21), and placebo(N=21). Measures of clinical
efficacy and side-effects were determined every 3 weeks. Measures of cognitive function were
determined at the beginning and the end of the study. The efficacies of three groups are
compared, and the characteristics of better responders are analyzed.