Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:913-918
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
The effects of naloxone in chronic schizophrenia
PA Berger, SJ Watson, H Akil and JD Barchas
In a placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study of 14 male chronic
schizophrenic patients, high doses of the opiate antagonist naloxone were
given intravenously. Hallucinations measured on a verbal- report scale were
significantly decreased after naloxone administration. The authors suggest
that this apparent action of naloxone is mediated by central opiate
receptors and that it may result from an interaction between central
endorphin systems and central catecholaminergic neurons.
