Tier 2 — strong

N-acetyl cysteine as a glutathione precursor for schizophrenia--a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial

Michael Berk, David Copolov, Olivia Dean, Kristy Lu, Sue Jeavons, Ian Schapkaitz, Murray Anderson-Hunt, Fiona Judd, Fiona Katz, Paul Katz, Sean Ording-Jespersen, John Little, Philippe Conus, Michel Cuenod, Kim Q Do, Ashley I Bush
Biol Psychiatry 2008 64(5):361-368

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 18436195
DOI
10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.03.004
Funding
Funding disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full funding statement.
Competing interests
Competing-interest disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full declaration.

Study snapshot

DesignMulticenter randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
ModelHuman
Sample140 randomized; 84 completed treatment
InterventionAdjunctive oral NAC 1 g twice daily versus placebo with maintenance antipsychotic treatment
Duration24 weeks plus 4-week discontinuation assessment
EndpointsPANSS total; PANSS negative; PANSS positive; PANSS general; Clinical Global Impression; Akathisia

What the study showed, in plain terms

Landmark adjunctive NAC trial in chronic schizophrenia.

Key findings

NAC improved PANSS total, negative and general scores and selected global ratings versus placebo, while positive symptoms did not significantly improve.

What this study can and cannot tell us

High attrition, adjunctive design and an older treatment context; later pooled evidence has been less consistently positive.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology