The effects of psychoactive drugs and neuroleptics on language in normal subjects and schizophrenic patients: a review
European Psychiatry – December 01, 2000
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Conventional psychopharmacology treatments significantly reduce language disorders in individuals experiencing Schizophrenia and psychosis. A review of eighteen studies shows neuroleptics, central to Psychiatry and Clinical psychology, improve verbal flow and reduce positive thought disorder when combined with Amphetamine. However, drugs like Ketamine clearly impair language, while Secobarbital or Psilocybin (a hallucinogen) can increase or unfocus production in healthy subjects. Fenfluramine combined with neuroleptics can worsen language measures, highlighting complex drug interactions in Schizophrenia research and treatment.
Abstract
The aim of this survey is to present an overview of research into psychopharmacology as regards the effects of different psychoactive drugs and neuroleptics (NL) on language in normal subjects and schizophrenic patients. Eighteen studies that have investigated the effects of different drugs (alcohol, amphetamines, secobarbital, L-dopa, psilocybin, ketamine, fenfluramine) and neuroleptics (conventional and atypical) on language are reviewed. There are no studies concerning the effects of neuroleptics on language in healthy subjects. The results of the effects of other molecules indicate that language production can be increased (alcohol, amphetamine, secobarbital), rendered more complex (d-amphetamine), more focused (L-dopa) or more unfocused (psilocybin) and clearly impaired (ketamine). For schizophrenic patients, most studies show that conventional neuroleptic treatments, at a therapeutic dosage and in acute or chronic mode, reduce language disorders at all levels (clinic, linguistic, psycholinguistic). In conjunction with other molecules, the classical NL, when administered at a moderate dosage and in chronic mode, modify language in schizophrenia, either by improving the verbal flow and reducing pauses and positive thought disorder (NL + amphetamine) or by inducing an impairment in the language measurements (NL + fenfluramine). Clinical, methodological and theoretical considerations of results are debated in the framework of schizophrenic language disorders.