Survey of the effect of memantine on negative sign in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of memantine on negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective. Methods: This is a double- blind randomized clinical trial. 58 patients participated in the study, 29 patients were randomly assigned to the memantine group and 29 patients to the placebo group. For assessing negative signs, and we used scale for the assessment of negative symptom (SANS) at baseline, week 4 and week 12. Participant were assigned to receive 5-20 mg /day memantine (n=29) or placebo (n=29) in addition to continuing treatment with antipsychotics for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy measure was the total score on the positive and negative symptoms (PANSS). Safety was assessed by means of physical examination, clinical laboratory evaluation, recording of adverse effects (AEs). Results: No significant difference in demographic or clinical variables were observed between two groups. At end point, mean score of scale for the assessment of negative symptoms (SANS) decreased significantly during the treatment with memantine in comparison to placebo. Conclusion: The result of this trial suggested that memantine can be effective in reducing negative symptoms in schizophrenia and schizoaffective.