A placebo-controlled pilot study of the ampakine CX516 added to clozapine in schizophrenia.

Author(s): Goff DC, Leahy L, Berman I, Posever T, Herz L, Leon AC, Johnson SA, Lynch G

Affiliation(s): Psychiatry Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Publication date & source: 2001-10, J Clin Psychopharmacol., 21(5):484-7.

Publication type: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial

CX516, a positive modulator of the glutamatergic alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptor, improves performance in tasks requiring learning and memory in animals. CX516 was added to clozapine in 4-week, placebo-controlled, dose-finding (N = 6) and fixed-dose (N = 13) trials. CX516 was tolerated well and was associated with moderate to large, between-group effect sizes compared with placebo, representing improvement in measures of attention and memory. These preliminary results suggest that CX516 and other "ampakines" hold promise for the treatment of schizophrenia.