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Objective: The authors conducted a dose-finding study of D-cycloserine, a partial agonist at the glycine site of the N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype of the glutamate receptor, added to conventional neuroleptics for schizophrenic patients with prominent negative symptoms. Method: Nine patients with schizophrenia completed consecutive 2-week trials of placebo and four doses of D-cycloserine. Clinical assessments were videotaped and were scored by a rater who was blind to temporal sequence. Results: D-Cycloserine at a dose of 50 mg/day produced a significant reduction (mean=21%, SD=28%) in negative symptoms and significantly improved reaction time as measured by Sternberg's Item Recognition Paradigm, a test mediated in part by prefrontal cortex. Conclusions: This preliminary evidence suggests that D-cycloserine may improve negative symptoms and cognitive deficits over a narrow dose range when added to conventional antipsychotic agents. (Am J Psychiatry 1995; 152:1213-1215)

Copyright (C) 1995 American Psychiatric Association.