CURRENT PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH PROJECTS:

OHSU Research projects listed by Principal Investigator (PI)

Dr. Kevin Smith, Director of the Geropsychiatry Clinic at the Oregon Health & Science University, is conducting a study (IRB #2214) exploring the safety and efficacy of asenapine to treat psychosis in people 65 years of age and older.

Asenapine is a new "atypical" antipsychotic medication that may be a more effective treatment than risperidone in treating negative symptoms as demonstrated by the negative subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Asenapine also appears to have a lower propensity to produce weight gain than other atypicals.

Research participants will be randomized to two groups, one titrating to 5mg bid asenapine and the other 10mg bid, at the start of an eight-day admission to the inpatient psychiatric unit at OHSU. There is no placebo arm. Upon discharge patients will receive medication and follow-up examinations for approximately 6 weeks.

To obtain further information, please contact...
Eric Colling, R.N.
phone: 503-494-1491
e-mail: collinge@ohsu.edu

Thank you for your interest in this research.