Pharmacological interventions for social cognitive impairments in schizophrenia: A protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Yuji Yamada; Ryo Okubo; Hisateru Tachimori; Takashi Uchino; Ryotaro Kubota; Hiroki Okano; Shuhei Ishikawa; Toru Horinouchi; Keisuke Takanobu; Ryo Sawagashira; Yumi Hasegawa; Yohei Sasaki; Motohiro Nishiuchi; Takahiro Kawashima; Yui Tomo; Naoki Hashimoto; Satoru Ikezawa; Takahiro Nemoto; Norio Watanabe; Tomiki Sumiyoshi

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.878829

Pharmacological interventions for social cognitive impairments in schizophrenia: A protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Front Psychol. 2022 Aug 3:13:878829. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.878829. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yuji Yamada¹, Ryo Okubo², Hisateru Tachimori^{2

3}, Takashi Uchino⁴, Ryotaro Kubota^{1

5}, Hiroki Okano¹, Shuhei Ishikawa⁶, Toru Horinouchi⁷, Keisuke Takanobu⁷, Ryo Sawagashira⁷, Yumi Hasegawa⁸, Yohei Sasaki², Motohiro Nishiuchi⁹, Takahiro Kawashima², Yui Tomo², Naoki Hashimoto⁷, Satoru Ikezawa¹⁰, Takahiro Nemoto⁴, Norio Watanabe¹¹, Tomiki Sumiyoshi⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
² Clinical Research & Education Promotion Division, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Endowed Course for Health System Innovation, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
⁴ Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan.
⁵ Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.
⁷ Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
⁸ Department of Preventive Intervention for Psychiatric Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
⁹ Graduate School of Human and Social Sciences, Musashino University, Tokyo, Japan.
¹⁰ Endowed Institute for Empowering Gifted Minds, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
¹¹ Department of Psychiatry, Soseikai General Hospital, Kyoto, Japan.

Abstract

Background: Social cognitive impairments adversely affect social functioning (e.g., employment status) in patients with schizophrenia. Although pharmacological interventions have been suggested to provide some benefits on social cognition, little information is available on the comparative efficacy of pharmacotherapy. Thus, the aim of this planned systematic review and network meta-analysis is to perform a quantitative comparison of the effects of various psychotropic drugs, including supplements, on social cognition disturbances of schizophrenia.

Methods: The literature search will be carried out using the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO, ClinicalTrials.gov, and International Clinical Trials Registry Platform databases from inception onward. Randomized controlled trials that examined the efficacy of drugs in social cognitive disturbances will be included, based on the most recent studies and the broader literature than previously searched. This protocol defines a priori the methods that will be used for study selection, data collection, quality assessment, and statistical syntheses.

Discussion: The findings this work are expected to help promote the development of better therapeutics of social cognitive impairments in schizophrenia and related psychiatric conditions.

Systematic review registration: [www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero], identifier [CRD42021293224].

Keywords: network meta-analysis; pharmacotherapy; schizophrenia; social cognition; systematic review.

Copyright © 2022 Yamada, Okubo, Tachimori, Uchino, Kubota, Okano, Ishikawa, Horinouchi, Takanobu, Sawagashira, Hasegawa, Sasaki, Nishiuchi, Kawashima, Tomo, Hashimoto, Ikezawa, Nemoto, Watanabe and Sumiyoshi.