These results confirm the importance of using tasks that tap specific cognitive functions, linked to specific neural systems, in studies of brain-behavior relationships in schizophrenia. Hypofrontality is reliably demonstrated in schizophrenia during tasks that engage working memory functions of the prefrontal cortex.

Background: Obesity is common in persons with schizophrenia. Besides its adverse health effects, obesity reduces quality of life and contributes to the social stigma of schizophrenia. Method: This 14-week, multicenter, openlabel, rater-blinded, randomized study evaluated the effects of a group-based behavioral treatment (BT) for weight loss in overweight and obese stable patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who had been switched from olanzapine to risperidone. Participants were randomly assigned to receive BT or usual clinical care (UC). BT included 20 sessions during which patients were taught to reduce caloric intake. In UC, patients were encouraged to lose weight but received no special advice about weight reduction. The primary outcome measure was change in body weight. Results: Seventy-two patients were enrolled. The mean ± SD weight loss at endpoint was significant in both groups (p < .05) and numerically greater in patients receiving BT than in those receiving UC (-2.0 ± 3.79 and-1.1 ± 3.11 kg, respectively). More patients in the BT group than in the UC group had lost ≥ 5% of their body weight at endpoint (26.5% [9/34] and 10.8% [4/37], respectively; p = .082). A post hoc analysis of patients attending at least 1 BT session showed that significantly more patients in the BT than the UC group had lost ≥ 5% of their body weight at endpoint (32.1% [9/28] vs. 10.8% [4/37], respectively, p = .038) and at week 14 (completer population; 40.9% [9/22] and 14.3% [4/28], respectively, p = .027). Conclusion: BT may be an effective method for weight reduction in patients with chronic psychotic illness.

The prevalence of obesity in the United States population is increasing, and similar trends can be observed among schizophrenia patients. No thorough examination of the actual nutritional composition of the diet of schizophrenia patients in the United States has been carried out. We therefore employed a 24-hour diet recall in 146 schizophrenia outpatients to gather information on different nutritional variables, such as total caloric intake and total fat, protein, carbohydrate, cholesterol, and fiber content. Data were subsequently compared to data for the general population collected in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Schizophrenia patients as a group ate more food when compared to NHANES III subjects, but the relative percentages of calories derived from fat, protein, and carbohydrates were not found to be different. Therefore, it is unlikely that schizophrenia patients make dietary choices different from those of people in the general population. Instead, schizophrenia patients seem to eat more of the same food.

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Topiramate appears to have efficacy for the manic and mixed phases of bipolar illness. Other preliminary data suggest antidepressant efficacy too. Among obese bipolar subjects, the weight loss potential of topiramate may be beneficial. If controlled trials confirm these initial results, topiramate may be a significant addition to the available treatments for bipolar disorder.

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Background-Low cardiorespiratory fitness is a prominent behavioral risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality, as cardiorespiratory fitness is strongly associated with CVD outcomes. High rates of CVD have been observed in the schizophrenia population, translating into a markedly reduced life expectancy as compared to healthy controls. Surprisingly however, while cardiorespiratory fitness is an eminent indicator for overall cardiovascular health as well as eminently modifiable risk factor for CVD, no studies have systematically assessed cardiorespiratory fitness in schizophrenia.

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