Schizophrenia

First-Generation Antipsychotic Shortages Were Followed by Medication Switching

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First-Generation Antipsychotic Shortages Were Followed by Medication Switching

TL;DR: A 2026 claims analysis in Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy found that FDA-declared first-generation antipsychotic shortages were followed by medication switching in 9.13% of included patients with psychotic spectrum disorders, with especially high switching after thiothixene, trifluoperazine, and molindone shortages. Key Findings The claims cohort was large: 95,968 patients had a psychotic …

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Right DLPFC tDCS Did Not Improve Working Memory in Schizophrenia

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Right DLPFC tDCS Did Not Improve Working Memory in Schizophrenia

TL;DR: A 2026 sham-controlled study in BMC Psychiatry found that one 15-minute session of 1.5 mA anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex did not improve visuospatial or verbal working memory in clinically stable schizophrenia patients. Key Findings 27 schizophrenia patients: The final analysis included 14 men and 13 women …

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Catatonia Linked to Lower Left Paracingulate Sulcus Presence on MRI

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Catatonia Linked to Lower Left Paracingulate Sulcus Presence on MRI

TL;DR: A 2026 MRI preprint on medRxiv found that patients with catatonia were less likely to have a left paracingulate sulcus (PCS), a stable anterior cingulate cortex fold, than psychiatric patients without catatonia. Key Findings 523 MRI scans: Researchers compared 109 patients with catatonia, 323 psychiatric patients without catatonia, and 91 healthy controls. Left PCS …

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Antipsychotic Dose Was Not Linked to MoCA Cognitive Scores in Young Adults With Schizophrenia

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Antipsychotic Dose Was Not Linked to MoCA Cognitive Scores in Young Adults With Schizophrenia

TL;DR: A 2026 BMC Psychiatry study found that antipsychotic dose was not associated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a brief cognitive screening test, in clinically stable schizophrenia patients under 40, while higher symptom scores and longer illness duration tracked lower cognition. Key Findings Forty-one clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia were included after researchers screened a …

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SMART Text Messages Improved Self-Management in Schizophrenia Metabolic Health Pilot

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SMART Text Messages Improved Self-Management in Schizophrenia Metabolic Health Pilot

TL;DR: A 2026 uncontrolled pilot study in BJPsych Open found that SMART, a personalized text-message program for metabolic health in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, improved patient activation, diabetes self-management confidence, health literacy, and recovery scores over 12 weeks, while objective cardiometabolic markers did not significantly change. Key Findings SMART reached a schizophrenia-risk group: Researchers …

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Microglia CRISPR Screen Linked Schizophrenia Genes to Phagocytosis

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Microglia CRISPR Screen Linked Schizophrenia Genes to Phagocytosis

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Neuropsychopharmacology used CRISPR gene editing in human microglia-like cells and found that several schizophrenia-linked genes changed phagocytosis, cell shape, and immune-transcription programs. Key Findings Schizophrenia-linked microglia genes were testable: The screen focused on 30 genes predicted from postmortem transcriptomic data and microglial biology to affect phagocytosis pathways. CYFIP1, MSR1, TREM2, …

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Subcortical Connectivity Differed Across Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and Depression

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Subcortical Connectivity Differed Across Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and Depression

TL;DR: A 2026 functional MRI (fMRI) study in Psychological Medicine found that schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder shared some thalamus connectivity disruption, but each diagnosis showed a different subcortical network pattern across the thalamus, striatum, hippocampus, and amygdala. Key Findings 800-person MRI cohort: Researchers analyzed resting-state fMRI from 200 people with schizophrenia, 200 …

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Cognitive Reserve in First-Episode Psychosis Linked to Genetics and Onset

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Cognitive Reserve in First-Episode Psychosis Linked to Genetics and Onset

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Psychological Medicine found that cognitive reserve in non-affective first-episode psychosis was higher with greater genetic predisposition to educational attainment and lower with earlier psychosis onset or family history of psychosis. Key Findings 174 first-episode patients: Researchers analyzed people with non-affective first-episode psychosis, with a mean age of 25.5 years. Educational-attainment …

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Early Clozapine in Schizophrenia Linked to Lower Relapse Risk

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Early Clozapine in Schizophrenia Linked to Lower Relapse Risk

TL;DR: A 2026 review in Current Opinion in Psychiatry found that earlier clozapine use in schizophrenia, especially after early nonresponse or relapse, was linked to better relapse prevention and stronger response rates than repeated nonclozapine antipsychotic trials. Key Findings Relapse prevention improved: Switching to clozapine after first relapse was associated with a 34% lower subsequent …

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Dopamine Synthesis Decreased After Psychotic Remission in Schizophrenia

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Dopamine Synthesis Decreased After Psychotic Remission in Schizophrenia

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv used 18F-DOPA positron emission tomography (PET) to estimate dopamine synthesis and storage, and found that caudate dopamine synthesis decreased as schizophrenia patients moved from active psychosis into early psychotic remission. Key Findings Patient group: Researchers scanned 28 schizophrenia patients twice and compared them with 21 healthy controls scanned over …

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