Lifetime use of antipsychotic medication and its relation to change of verbal learning and memory in midlife schizophrenia - An observational 9-year follow-up study

This is the first report of an association between cumulative lifetime antipsychotic use and change in cognition in a long-term naturalistic follow-up. The use of high doses of antipsychotics may be associated with a decrease in verbal learning and memory in schizophrenia years after illness onset. The results do not support the view that antipsychotics in general prevent cognitive decline or promote cognitive recovery in schizophrenia.