Add-on schizophrenia treatments showed different patterns across outcomes
The review reported improvements in selected symptom and cognitive scores with several medicines added to schizophrenia treatment. The leading agent varied by outcome.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Several medicines added to existing schizophrenia treatment improved selected symptom or cognitive scores compared with placebo in this review. Different agents stood out for different outcomes, so the results do not identify an option that is best across symptoms, cognition, side effects, and longer-term functioning.
The abstract does not report trial durations, adverse effects, or the pattern of direct comparisons between medicines. These omissions limit interpretation of rankings and any judgment about overall benefit and harm.
What researchers found
Overall symptom severity: standardized mean difference
Piracetam 2400–4800 mg/day added to treatment versus add-on placebo; trial durations were not reported.
What the analysis asked
Researchers brought randomized trials into a network analysis to compare medicines used alongside existing schizophrenia treatment. They assessed overall symptoms, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive performance as separate outcomes rather than one combined measure.
Reading the effect size
The -0.94 estimate means lower symptom scores with piracetam, measured in standard deviations rather than original scale points. Standardization uses variability in scores as the unit so results from different symptom scales can be compared.
The original publication
Augmentation with glutamatergic modulators for schizophrenia: A network meta-analysis.
Liang CW, Cheng HY, Tseng MM
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40945815
- Record checked
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