A double-blind, placebo-control, randomized study investigating the neuropsychological effects of Zyprexa in patients who stutter

Atypical antipsychotics are now being used in many different medical and mental diagnoses and clinicians as well as investigators need to understand how these medications affect the brain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the neuropsychological effects of olanzapine in patients who stutter. The hypothesis of this study was that olanzapine may impair cognition due to the possible increase of dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex beyond their baseline levels due to the blockage of serotonin receptors in the midbrain. The study utilized 22 subjects who participated in a double-blind, randomized study in a 1:1 fashion to either Zyprexa or placebo. Subjects were tested by both written and computerized neuropsychological batteries before they started the medication and 3 months later. There was no cognitive impairment seen with the use of olanzapine in this patient population. In fact, manual reaction time improved with olanzapine as compared to placebo. It does not seem that olanzapine induces any cognitive impairment, in fact, improvements were noted with this compound.