Behind the Steering Wheel of Your Brain: Residual Negative and Cognitive Symptoms in Schizophrenia

Approximately 80% of individuals with schizophrenia experience cognitive dysfunction. Only approximately 22% of patients with first-episode psychosis experience recovery, and only 11% of patients with multi-episode psychosis experience recovery. This speaks volumes about the unmet need in treating negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

In the wake of new data on SPG302, Christoph U. Correll, MD, sat down with Psychiatric Times to discuss why we need treatments that that keep the connection between brain areas and enhance efficiency.

"Treatments that address negative and cognitive symptoms could change the face of this illness and also the quality of life and functioning of many people currently struggling," said Correll.

The 5 main categories of negative symptoms in schizophrenia are:

• Amotivation
• Anhedonia
• Asociality
• Affective flattening
• Alogia

"The current functional, residual problems for people with schizophrenia that are treated relatively well and have semi-stable positive symptoms, comes from these untreated negative and cognitive symptoms," said Correll.

You can learn more about Dr Correll's thoughts on SPG302, a synaptic regenerative therapy targeting glutamatergic synapse restoration in schizophrenia, potentially improving all symptom domains, here.

Dr Correll is professor at the Institute of Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research; medical director of the Recognition and Prevention Program in the Department of Psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital; and professor of Psychiatry and Molecular Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.