Evaluating the effect of adding omega-3 fatty acids to antipsychotic regimen of schizophrenic patients on positive and negative symptoms

 The recognition of omega-3 fatty acids and their multiple roles in cellular biology and neuronal functions, and also some hypotheses based on the role of this substance in pathogenesis and treatment of schizophrenia made us test the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

This study is a double blind placebo-controlled clinical trial which was carried out on 106 schizophrenic inpatients in Mashhad Ebne-sina hospital in 1385-86. The diagnosis of schizophrenia was based on DSM-IV-TR criteria. Subjects were randomly divided into omega-3 and placebo groups. The omega-3 group received Risperidone up to 6mg/day (maximum dose) and 3gr/day of omega-3 for six weeks. The placebo group received Risperidone and placebo with the same doses during the same time. Positive and negative symptoms of patients were assessed by PANSS test in weeks 0, 3, 6, and the movement and pharmacological side effects by AIMS test in weeks 0, 6. Positive and negative symptoms of patients were compered in each group by Friedman test in weeks 0,3,6 and between two groups by T test.

Both groups had no significant differences in age, sex, education, duration of illness and the number of previous hospitalizations. There were no significant differences in scales of PANSS test in both groups in weeks 0, 3, 6.

In this study, omega-3 fatty acids had no superiority to placebo in decreasing positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia over six-week trial. Key words: Omega-3 fatty acids, Positive symptoms, Negative symptoms, Schizophrenia.