Effects of Curcumin on Cognitive Functioning and Inflammatory State in Schizophrenia: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Trial.

Presents a study to examine effects of curcumin on cognitive functioning and inflammatory state in schizophrenia. The study sample (9 male, 3 female) mostly consisted of chronic schizophrenia patients with mean ± SD duration of illness 21.66 ± 14.84 years (range, 5–51 years). Mean ± SD age of the total sample was 41.33 ± 12.73 years, and education level was 12.33 ± 2.42 years. In this pilot study, we found that add-on curcumin improved working memory in patients with schizophrenia. Add-on curcumin also reduced IL-6 levels after 8 weeks of treatment. Although improvements in other cognitive domains, negative symptoms, and total PANSS score were observed with add-on curcumin, these changes did not reach statistical significance. In summary, findings from this study suggest that add-on curcumin treatment may improve cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia. The underlying mechanism of this promising effect may be related to anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin. Overall, a larger confirmatory trial is warranted.