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Quetiapine Linked to Better Working Memory Scores in Schizophrenia

MHD card with an amber myelinated nerve fiber, quetiapine tablets, and a digits-backward memory sequence: quetiapine users with schizophrenia scored higher on hard working-memory tests, but myelin genes did not explain it.

A 2026 German-Austrian cohort analysis found that people with schizophrenia who were taking quetiapine scored modestly higher on demanding working-memory tests than sex- and age-matched patients who were not, with the largest gap at doses of 300 mg a day or less.1 Because patients were not randomized to quetiapine, this is an association; the advantage …

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Top-Ranked Treatments for Schizophrenia Aggression: Clozapine, Paliperidone and Olanzapine

MHD card with an amber network of antipsychotic drug nodes linked to a placebo node over a dark background, with a calming waveform: clozapine, paliperidone, and olanzapine reduced aggression in schizophrenia most, but confidence was low.

A 2026 analysis of 41 randomized studies involving 21,025 adults with schizophrenia found the largest estimated reductions in hostility and aggression for clozapine (standardized mean difference, or SMD, of −0.75), paliperidone (−0.62), and olanzapine (−0.60) vs. placebo.1 Confidence in every comparison was low or very low, the top 3 were not statistically separable, and most …

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Drug-Induced Dystonia: Metoclopramide and Antipsychotics Lead FAERS

MHD featured image for drug-induced dystonia signals involving metoclopramide and antipsychotics.

A 2026 FAERS pharmacovigilance study of 28,938 dystonia reports found the strongest reporting signal for metoclopramide, while antipsychotics dominated the high-volume psychiatric medication signal and most timed cases began within 30 days of drug exposure.1 Research Highlights 28,938 dystonia reports: Chen et al. analyzed 27,618 patients represented in FAERS reports from Q1 2004 through Q3 …

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Early Clozapine in Schizophrenia: 34% Lower Relapse Risk

Stylized illustration of a stopwatch overlaying schizophrenia treatment-stage icons, representing the multi-year delay before clozapine is offered to patients who already meet treatment-resistance criteria.

Clozapine has been the most effective antipsychotic in schizophrenia for almost 40 years, yet it is still routinely held back until patients have failed multiple alternatives over many years — a “third-line, after years of failure” default that a 2026 Current Opinion review by Davani et al. argues is no longer supported by the evidence.1 …

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Aripiprazole Oculogyric Crisis in Tourette Tics: 2 Cases at 20-30 mg

MHD featured image for aripiprazole-related oculogyric crisis in Tourette tic treatment.

A 2026 Neurological Sciences brief communication added 2 Tourette syndrome cases of aripiprazole-related oculogyric crisis — sustained, involuntary upward eye deviation from extraocular-muscle dystonia — after titration to 20 mg and 30 mg daily, with remission after dose reduction.1 Research Highlights 2 new Tourette cases: Cavanna et al. reported oculogyric crisis in females aged 16 …

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77-Drug Blood Screen Found Benzodiazepines in 37.9% of Detections

MHD featured image for neuropsychiatric drug blood screening and benzodiazepine detections.

A 2026 clinical-lab study tested a 77-drug liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry serum screen in 1,021 patients and found that benzodiazepines accounted for 37.9% of all detections, ahead of antidepressants and antipsychotics.1 Emergency-department cases were a small slice of the sample, but they were positive more often than outpatients: 85.2% vs. 59.5%. Research Highlights Benzodiazepines dominated …

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Risperidone in Dementia Raised Stroke-Related Events 4.11x by Week 4

MHD featured image for risperidone adverse events in dementia.

A 2026 individual participant data meta-analysis of 1,721 dementia trial participants linked risperidone to cerebrovascular adverse events, HR 4.11 (95% CI 1.77 to 9.51), and major cardiovascular adverse events, HR 2.00 (95% CI 1.23 to 3.26).1 The timing signal is the practical warning: median first cerebrovascular event appeared at 4.3 weeks, and median first major …

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