Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disease characterised by positive symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions and negative symptoms such as blunted affect and emotional withdrawal. People with schizophrenia may also suffer from cognitive deficits. Current medication is effective in reducing positive symptoms, but negative and cognitive symptoms are fairly resistant to treatment. Antipsychotic drugs act mainly on the dopamine system in the brain, although other neurotransmitter systems may also play a role in schizophrenia.
We sought to review all randomised trials that used glutamatergic drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia. This review shows that substances acting on the glutamate system may improve symptoms when added to regular antipsychotic medication, although the available evidence base is too limited to allow for any firm conclusions. Presently, glutamatergic drugs are not available for clinical use. Additional research is needed to determine their ultimate role in the treatment of schizophrenia.