Normalization of Information Processing Deficits in Schizophrenia With Clozapine Veena Kumari, Ph.D., William Soni, M.B., B.S., M.Sc., and Tonmoy Sharma, M.Sc., M.R.C.Psych. Objective: The authors tested the hypothesis that the use of an atypical drug, clozapine,
for patients with schizophrenia is related to less impairment in information processing def- icits (assessed by prepulse inhibition of the startle response) than is the use of typical anti- psychotics. Method: Two groups of schizophrenic patients—receiving either clozapine or a range of typical antipsychotics—were tested for prepulse inhibition (a reduction in re- sponse to a startling stimulus, if preceded briefly by a weak, nonstartling stimulus; mea- sured at prepulse-to-pulse intervals of 30 msec, 60 msec, and 120 msec) of the acoustic startle response and compared with a group of healthy volunteers. Results: Patients re- ceiving typical antipsychotics showed less prepulse inhibition with 30-msec and 60-msec prepulse trials than did comparison subjects. Clozapine-treated patients showed normal levels of prepulse inhibition. Conclusions: Clozapine is superior to typical antipsychotics in normalizing prepulse inhibition, presumably because of its pharmacological effects on prefrontal regions of the brain or its effects on a broader range of neuroreceptors. (Am J Psychiatry 1999; 156:1046–1051)
Schizophrenia has long been associated with abnor- Pharmacological agents that disrupt and enhance
malities in information processing and attention mech-
prepulse inhibition in experimental animals have psy-
anisms (1, 2). Prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex, a
chotic and antipsychotic properties, respectively, in hu-
cross-species phenomenon, provides a valuable oppor-
man beings. In the rat, prepulse inhibition is disrupted
tunity to study such abnormalities (3). Prepulse inhibi-
by dopamine agonists (10–12), an observation consis-
tion refers to a reduction in response to a strong star-
tent with the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia
tling stimulus, “pulse,” if this is preceded shortly by a
(13). Serotonin (5-HT) agonists and N-methyl-D-as-
prestimulus, “prepulse,” too weak to elicit a measur-
partate (NMDA) antagonists also disrupt prepulse in-
able startle response itself (4, 5). The paradigms most
hibition (10–12); this finding is in line with the sug-
often employed to demonstrate this effect use a strong
gested involvement of these systems in the etiology and
noise burst as the pulse and a weak noise as the
treatment of schizophrenia (14). In addition, environ-
prepulse. The inhibitory mechanisms activated by the
mental manipulations, such as rearing in isolation,
prepulse are thought to reduce the impact of the pulse,
with possible relevance to neurodevelopmental models
a powerful sensory stimulus, until the processing of the
of schizophrenia (15), are found to disrupt prepulse in-
prepulse is complete and thus serve to prevent the or-
hibition (10–12). The disruption of prepulse inhibition
ganism from overload of information. In line with pos-
by dopamine agonists and social isolation is reversed
tulated deficiencies in early stages of information pro-
by typical and atypical antipsychotics. However, atyp-
cessing, reduced prepulse inhibition has repeatedly
ical, but not typical, antipsychotics are able to reversethe disruption of prepulse inhibition by 5-HT agonists
been demonstrated in people with schizophrenia as
compared to healthy people (6–12).
Although preclinical evidence points, as noted ear-
lier in this article, to the differential effects of typical
Received Oct. 6, 1998; revision received Jan. 8, 1999; accepted
and atypical antipsychotics on prepulse inhibition,
Jan. 15, 1999. From the Section of Cognitive Psychopharmacol-ogy, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry.
with a possible superiority of atypical drugs over typ-
Address reprint requests to Dr. Sharma, Section of Cognitive Psy-
ical ones, no published studies are available on the ef-
chopharmacology, Department of Psychological Medicine, Insti-
fects of typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs on
tute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, U.K.;
prepulse inhibition in schizophrenic patients. A re-
Supported by a donation from Grosvenor Group Estates and
cent study (16) reported that oral administration of
the dopamine D2 receptor agonist bromocriptine
TABLE 1. Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Schizophrenic Patients Receiving Treatment With Typical Antipsychotics and Clozapine
Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale score
a First appearance of psychotic symptoms. b Current age minus age at onset of illness.
(1.25 mg) suppresses prepulse inhibition in normal
sion, a history of mental illness, anorexia, violent or rapid mood
male subjects, compared to placebo, and that halo-
changes, drug abuse (ascertained by urine toxicology screen) and al-
peridol (3 mg) antagonizes the suppression by bro-
cohol abuse, regular medical prescriptions, and presence of psycho-sis in their first-degree relatives before they were accepted as sub-
mocriptine but reduces prepulse inhibition when ad-
jects. All subjects were screened for intact auditory abilities through
ministered on its own. We (17) also observed that oral
use of an audiometer at 40 dB [A] (1000 Hz).
haloperidol (5 mg) disrupted prepulse inhibition in
A commercial human startle response monitoring system (San Di-
normal male smokers. These findings suggest that
ego Instruments) was used to generate and deliver the startle stimuliand to record and score the electromyographic (EMG) activity for
both hypo- and hyperdopaminergic states may reduce
250 msec starting from the onset of the acoustic startle stimulus. Au-
prepulse inhibition in normal human beings. However,
ditory stimuli were presented to subjects binaurally through head-
the cognitive effects of antipsychotics are known to
phones. EMG recordings were taken while subjects were sitting
differ in schizophrenic patients and normal volunteers
comfortably in a moderately lit, soundproof laboratory.
(18). Given that prepulse inhibition deficits were noted
The eye-blink component of the startle response was indexed by
recording EMG activity of the orbicularis oculi muscle directly be-
in clinically stable, medicated (presumably with typical
neath the right eye, by positioning two miniature silver/silver chlo-
antipsychotics) schizophrenic patients in a number of
ride electrodes filled with electrolyte paste, following standard pro-
previous studies (6–9), it seems likely that typical med-
cedures (17, 20–22). The startle system recorded EMG activity for
ication leads to, at best, a partial rather than a full res-
250 msec (sample interval=1 msec) from the onset of the startle stim-ulus. Recorded EMG activity was band-pass filtered, as recom-
toration of underlying deficits in postulated prepulse
mended by San Diego Instruments. A 50-Hz filter was used to elim-
inhibition circuitry with inputs from dopaminergic as
inate the 50-Hz interference. EMG data were scored off-line, by the
well as from nondopaminergic systems (11).
analytic program of this system, for response amplitude (in arbitrary
We therefore measured prepulse inhibition of the
analog-to-digit units) and latencies to response onset and peak (inmilliseconds). Scoring criteria were identical to those reported in our
acoustic startle response in two groups of schizo-
phrenic patients—those receiving clozapine and those
The session began with a 5-minute acclimatization period consist-
receiving a range of typical antipsychotics—and com-
ing of 70-dB [A] continuous white noise. The pulse-alone (non-
pared them with a group of healthy subjects. Given
prepulse) stimulus was a 40-msec presentation of 115-dB [A] whitenoise, and the prepulse stimulus was a 20-msec presentation of 85-
the superiority of clozapine over typical antipsychot-
dB [A] white noise, both over 70-dB [A] continuous background
ics in reversing prepulse inhibition deficits in the rat,
noise. The pulse-alone stimulus was presented 30, 60, and 120 msec
we predicted greater prepulse inhibition with clozap-
after the onset of the prepulse stimulus. Each lead interval was pre-
ine-treated patients than with those receiving typical
sented 12 times; probe without prepulse was also presented 12 times
(excluding the first initial trial). There were 61 startle stimuli in all,with a mean intertrial interval of 15 seconds (range=9–23 seconds). The session lasted approximately 20 minutes.
All subjects gave written informed consent after the aim and the
procedure of the study were explained to them. They were told thatthe purpose of the experiment was to measure their reactivity to loudnoises and were told, “You are going to hear a number of auditory
Twenty-two male patients (age range=20–65 years) with a DSM-
clicks, some of which may make you blink. Please keep your eyes
IV diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were re-
open during this experiment, which will last about 20 minutes.”
cruited through the inpatient and outpatient services at the Mauds-
All analyses were performed by SPSS (Windows, Version 6.0).
ley Hospital, London. Of these, 11 patients were receiving typical
Prepulse inhibition was computed as the percentage reduction of
antipsychotics and 11, clozapine for a minimum of 6 weeks. Because
the amplitude over pulse-alone (non-prepulse) trials, i.e., prepulse
of unusable eye-blink data, two patients receiving typical antipsy-
inhibition=(a–b)/a × 100, where a=amplitude over pulse-alone tri-
chotics were excluded from the final analysis, thus reducing the size
als and b=amplitude over prepulse trials. Such a procedure is re-
of this group to nine subjects. Symptoms were rated with the Positive
quired to correct for the influence of individual differences in star-
and Negative Syndrome Scale (19). Table 1 presents demographic
tle amplitude (23). First, the two patient groups were compared
and clinical characteristics of the patients. Eleven normal volunteers
through use of between-subjects t tests for the clinical and demo-
(all men, age range=20–50 years; mean age=28.36, SD=6.72) were
graphic variables reported in table 1. Next, the effects of diagnosis
recruited through advertisement in the local newspaper and were
(patients versus comparison subjects) and medication type (clozap-
screened for thyroid dysfunction, heart disease, hypo- and hyperten-
ine versus typical antipsychotics) on prepulse inhibition of the startle
TABLE 2. Prepulse Inhibition of Startle Response by Prepulse
rable to that of comparison subjects at the 120-msec
Trials With 30-, 60-, and 120-msec Prepulse-to-Pulse Intervals
lead interval. The finding of normal prepulse inhibi-
for Schizophrenic Patients Treated With Typical Antipsychot-
tion in patients receiving typical antipsychotics with
ics and Clozapine and for Normal Comparison Subjects
120-msec prepulse trials lends support to numerous
previous findings showing positive effects of typical
neuroleptic medication on controlled attention (25).
Prepulse inhibition, at least in part, is thought to re-
flect automatic (preattentive, mainly in prepulse inhi-
bition with prepulses delivered at 60 msec or shorter
prepulse-to-pulse intervals) processing, but it can be
modulated to some degree by voluntary attention (in-volving conscious awareness) in human beings (26). Active attention to the prepulses, especially at long
response were examined by a three- (group: patients receiving cloza-
lead intervals (>100 msec), produces an increase in
pine, patients receiving typical antipsychotics, comparison subjects)by-three (trial type: prepulse trials with prepulse-to-pulse intervals of
prepulse inhibition (26, 27). We used a neutral task
30-msec, 60-msec, and 120-msec) multivariate analysis of variance
(subjects were not instructed to pay attention to or ig-
(MANOVA; Wilks’s F) with repeated measures on trial type. Further
nore the prepulses) in order to facilitate the compari-
MANOVAs on prepulse inhibition scores were conducted to com-
son of resulting data with those obtained from animal
pare the two patient groups (separately) with comparison subjects.
pharmacological studies; however, prepulses with a120-msec prepulse-to-pulse interval are likely to haveinvolved conscious awareness and active processing of
the prepulse (although not intention, which would berequired if subjects were to ignore some and pay atten-
There was no difference (p>0.05) between patients
tion to other prepulses) and thus differed from the
receiving clozapine and typical antipsychotics in symp-
prepulses with shorter prepulse-to-pulse intervals.
toms, age at onset of illness, or duration of illness, but
Clozapine-treated patients showed normal levels of
clozapine-treated patients were relatively younger.
prepulse inhibition at all prepulse intervals. This find-
Age, however, has no influence on human prepulse in-
ing suggests that in schizophrenic patients, clozapine
hibition (24). Medication, calculated as chlorprom-
normalizes information processing functions, as as-
azine equivalents, and current symptoms had no rela-
sessed by prepulse inhibition of the startle response.
These findings have significance for clinical and func-
The MANOVA (three by three) revealed a significant
tional outcome of schizophrenia given that 1) poor
group-by-trial type interaction (F=2.73, df=4, 56, p=
cognitive functioning is related to poor functional out-
0.04), although the main effect of group failed to reach
come in schizophrenia (28), and 2) impaired prepulse
a conventional level of significance (F=2.75, df=2, 28,
inhibition is positively associated with various cogni-
p=0.08). Further analysis of the data (two-by-three
tive deficits. Impaired prepulse inhibition in schizo-
MANOVA; patients receiving typical antipsychotics
phrenia predicts poor responses on the Ego Impairment
versus comparison subjects) revealed less prepulse in-
Index human experience variable, a measure of thought
hibition in patients receiving typical antipsychotics (F=
disorder (29), and correlates positively with poor per-
7.55, df=1, 18, p=0.01). However, this effect was true
formance on Wisconsin Card Sort Test (30, 31) and
for 30-msec and 60-msec prepulse trials but not for
with distractibility on the Continuous Performance
120-msec prepulse trials (group-by-trial type interac-
Test (32). Impaired inhibitory processes underlying di-
tion: F=7.19, df=2, 17, p=0.005). Patients receiving
minished prepulse inhibition in schizophrenia (6, 11)
typical antipsychotics showed less prepulse inhibition
are conceptualized to reflect an overload of sensory in-
than comparison subjects with 30-msec (t=1.83, df=
formation, which in turn leads to cognitive fragmenta-
18, p=0.08) and 60-msec (t=3.13, df=18, p=0.006)
tion frequently seen in schizophrenia (33). An improve-
prepulse trials, but they showed prepulse inhibition
ment in cognitive functions with clozapine treatment
comparable to that of comparison subjects with 120-
would thus be expected to result in better functional
msec prepulse trials (t=1.19, df=18, p=0.25). Prepulse
outcome in schizophrenia. In line with our findings, a
inhibition in clozapine-treated patients was not signif-
positive effect of clozapine has also been noted in a
icantly less than that in comparison subjects (F=0.49,
number of cognitive domains (25), especially attention
and verbal fluency in both treatment-resistant and non-treatment-resistant schizophrenia (34).
The exact mechanism responsible for the superiority
DISCUSSION
of clozapine over typical antipsychotics, particularly atshort prepulse intervals, cannot be specified at present.
We found less prepulse inhibition in patients receiv-
This effect may be due to clozapine’s effects on pre-
ing typical antipsychotics than in comparison subjects
frontal regions of the brain, especially (but not exclu-
at 30-msec and 60-msec prepulse-to-pulse lead inter-
sively) 5-HT2 antagonism or its limbic selectivity, or
vals; however, they showed prepulse inhibition compa-
due to its actions on a range of neuroreceptors that is
broader than the range affected by typical antipsychot-
across these disorders. Prepulse inhibition deficits have
ics (35, 36); the last possibility seems more likely given
most thoroughly been investigated in schizophrenia,
the involvement of multiple receptors in the regulation
and disruptions have been found across a range of
of prepulse inhibition in the rat (11, 12). Clozapine
prepulse intensities and intervals in this disease. Given
also reduces ad lib smoking in schizophrenic patients
that schizophrenic patients are known to have abnor-
(37), and smoking itself is known to enhance prepulse
malities at various levels of prepulse inhibition cir-
inhibition of the acoustic startle response in normal
cuitry, these findings do not appear surprising. Patients
smokers (22). However, the mechanism responsible for
with Huntington’s disease show profound disruption
the positive actions of nicotine on prepulse inhibition
of acoustic prepulse inhibition across 30-msec, 60-
in the rat (38) and in human beings (20, 21) is not yet
msec, and 120-msec prepulse-to-pulse intervals (42).
understood. It is possible that clozapine’s effect on
The pattern of disruption in these patients is remark-
prepulse inhibition is mediated by the same mechanism
ably different from that in schizophrenic patients. Al-
that underlies its effect on smoking.
though schizophrenic patients show less prepulse inhi-
Although much remains to be learned about the pro-
bition than control subjects, they show an increase in
cesses underlying, and the pharmacology of, prepulse
prepulse inhibition with 30-msec to 120-msec
inhibition in human beings, our findings suggest that
prepulse-to-pulse intervals, with the appearance of sig-
antipsychotic drugs with different pharmacological
nificant prepulse inhibition at the 120-msec prepulse-
profiles would produce differential effects on auto-
to-pulse interval. Consistent with the possibility of dif-
matic and controlled components of information pro-
ferent, but overlapping, pharmacological and neural
cessing, as assessed by prepulse inhibition of the startle
correlates of prepulse inhibition with different prepulse-
response. It is possible that impairments in prepulse in-
to-pulse intervals, our recent neuroimaging study (47)
hibition at short and long intervals reflect dysfunctions
revealed different patterns of brain activation during
at different stages or processes of information process-
production of prepulse inhibition with 60-msec and
ing and at different levels of the neurophysiological
120-msec prepulse trials in normal human volunteers,
startle gating (prepulse inhibition) circuitry (26). There
with significant greater prefrontal activation during 60-
are indications of such effects in both experimental an-
msec prepulse condition, as compared to the 120-msec
prepulse condition. The 120-msec prepulse condition
Prepulse inhibition in rats is thought to be controlled
elicited significantly greater activation than the 60-
by the limbic and mesolimbic-cortico-pallido-thalamic
msec prepulse condition in the striatum (caudate nu-
circuitry (12). The drugs primarily acting at different
cleus), an observation that may help to explain the pre-
neural structures in this circuitry are found to produce
vious finding of a profound loss of prepulse inhibition
different patterns of prepulse inhibition disruption (or
with the 120-msec prepulse-to-pulse interval in pa-
enhancement) in the rat (39–41). For example, apomor-
tients with Huntington’s disease, since they are known
phine, at doses that have no effect on control animals,
to have substantial damage to the corpus striatum
disrupts prepulse inhibition in rats with supersensitive
(42). Taken together, these observations suggest that
nucleus accumbens dopamine receptors following intra-
parametric manipulations may be critical in determin-
accumbal infusion of 6-hydroxydopamine. This effect
ing, with the prepulse inhibition model, the effects of
is particularly strong for prepulse inhibition at 60-
pharmacological agents on information processing
msec prepulse-to-pulse intervals, although it is also
observed with prepulses delivered at 120-msec and
In conclusion, our findings suggest that clozapine is
480-msec intervals (40). Apomorphine’s disruptive ef-
superior to typical antipsychotics in normalizing cog-
fect on prepulse inhibition is seen in rats with 6-hydrox-
nitive deficits in schizophrenia, at least as assessed by
ydopamine lesions in the substantia nigra, but most evi-
prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response.
dent in this case, at prepulses delivered at 120-msec
The findings also suggest that for several investigations
interval, with no effect at the 60-msec interval (34). The
of schizophrenic patients treated with atypical antipsy-
NMDA antagonist ketamine not only disrupts prepulse
chotics, the findings of normal or minimally impaired
inhibition at 60–500-msec prepulse-to-pulse intervals
attentional and information processing functions may
but also produces significant prepulse facilitation at the
be attributable to the cognitive enhancing characteris-
30-msec prepulse-to-pulse interval; prepulses with a 30-
tics of atypical antipsychotics. The present findings
msec prepulse-to-pulse interval have no effect in no-
support the view that prepulse inhibition is a useful an-
imal model for future investigations of novel potential
In addition to schizophrenia, deficient prepulse in-
antipsychotic agents for the treatment of schizophrenia
hibition is observed in a number of psychiatric disor-
(11) but also indicate that antipsychotics with different
ders that are characterized by abnormalities in limbic
pharmacological profiles may produce differential
and mesolimbic-cortico-striato-pallido-thalamic cir-
cuitry and exhibit deficient gating of cognitive, sen-
There are some limitations to this study. First, this
sory, or motor information, such as Huntington’s dis-
study, as a first step, used a between-subjects design.
ease (42), obsessive-compulsive disorder (43), attention
However, this should not be considered a serious limi-
deficit disorder (44), and Tourette’s syndrome (45, 46).
tation because all subjects were of the same sex and
However, the pattern of disruption is not uniform
had been free of substance abuse for at least 6 weeks
before their participation in the study, and the two pa-
7. Braff DL, Geyer MA: Sensorimotor gating and schizophrenia.
tient groups did not differ significantly in symptoms or
duration of illness. Furthermore, no relationships were
8. Braff DL, Grillon C, Geyer MA: Gating and habituation of the
startle reflex in schizophrenic patients. Arch Gen Psychiatry
found between these variables and prepulse inhibition
levels in general, although the small study group did
9. Grillon C, Ameli R, Charney DS, Krystal JH, Braff DL: Startle
not allow a meaningful evaluation of effects of symp-
gating deficit occurs across prepulse intensities in schizo-
toms. Clozapine-treated patients were younger than
phrenic patients. Biol Psychiatry 1992; 32:929–943
10. Swerdlow NR, Braff DL, Taaid N, Geyer MA: Assessing the
patients receiving typical antipsychotics, but age of
validity of an animal model of deficient sensorimotor gating in
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other limitation of the present study is the lack of data
for drug-free patients, which makes it difficult to sus-
12. Swerdlow NR, Caine SB, Braff DL, Geyer MA: The neural
tain the conclusion that clozapine normalized rather
substrates of sensorimotor gating of the startle reflex: a re-
than reversed deficits caused by typical antipsychotics.
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However, previous studies by other researchers (48)
13. Carlsson A: The current status of the dopamine hypothesis of
and our preliminary data (N=2, with the paradigm re-
schizophrenia. Neuropsychopharmacology 1998; 1:179–186
ported in this study) in schizophrenic patients show
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patients (48, 49). Furthermore, prepulse inhibition def-
Effects of bromocriptine and haloperidol on prepulse inhibition
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personality disorder, a schizophrenia-related popula-
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