Dose effect of buspirone combined with clozapine on cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the augmentation effects of different doses of buspirone on psychiatric symptoms and cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: A prospective study design was employed, enrolling 46 patients with schizophrenia treated at the Fourth People's Hospital of Wuhu. Patients were randomly assigned to three groups: a control group, experimental group 1 (5 mg of buspirone) or experimental group 2 (10 mg of buspirone). The control group received clozapine monotherapy, whereas the experimental groups received adjunctive buspirone at different doses alongside clozapine. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Chinese version of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status were used to assess psychiatric symptoms and cognitive function. A linear mixed-effects model was employed for statistical analysis. RESULTS: = 0.15)</u>, indicating that experimental group 2 exhibited more rapid improvement than experimental group 1. With respect to cognitive function, the experimental groups demonstrated significant improvements in immediate memory (d > 0.5) and visuospatial/constructional abilities (d > 0.45) at week 8, with additional improvements in language abilities (d > 0.5) by week 12. CONCLUSIONS: Buspirone is effective in alleviating psychiatric symptoms and cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia, thereby enhancing clinical outcomes.