Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid (GABA)-A Alpha2/3 Study

Treatment of Cognitive Disability in Schizophrenia With a GABA-A Alpha2/3 Receptor Agonist

The purpose of this research study is to determine whether a short-term administration of an investigational study drug may provide evidence of improvement in cognitive functioning in a group of stable male subjects with schizophrenia.

The goal of this study is to determine whether the short-term (4 week), double-blind administration of Merck L-830982 provides evidence of improvement in cognitive functioning in stable male subjects with schizophrenia. This initial, small sample size study (n=9 on L-830982 and n=6 on placebo) is restricted to males in order to reduce the variance that might be attributable to the well-documented sex differences in the clinical features of schizophrenia.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male participants
• Between the ages of 18 and 50
• Meet diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder
• Are clinically stable for a minimum of 3 months on current dose of medication
• Are unemployed (i.e., work less than 20 hours per week at competitive employment)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Psychoactive substance dependence within the past 6 months or substance abuse within the past month
• History of head trauma or other neurological disorder
• Medical illness or medications, such as benzodiazepine treatment or HIV medications, that may be affected by study participation (the study doctor will discuss this with potential subjects)
• Mental retardation
• Seizure disorder
• History of a heart attack, arrhythmia, or other heart disease