Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis: DSM IV/DSM IV TR schizophrenia (including disorganized (295.10), paranoid (295.30), undifferentiated (295.90), and catatonic (295.20) subtypes)
• Gender: Males and Females
• Age: 18 - 60
• Caucasian or Non Caucasian
• Capable of providing informed consent
• Duration of illness equal to or greater than one year
• Subjects will be treated with one or two of the following second generation antipsychotics: risperidone, paliperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone, or aripiprazole for the previous two months, with no change in dose in the last month.

• Subjects will meet the following symptom criteria:

  • Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) Hallucinatory Behavior or Unusual Thought Content item scores ≤ 4
  • BPRS Conceptual Disorganization item score ≤ 4
  • All Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) global items ≤ 3
  • Simpson-Angus Scale total score ≤ 6
  • Calgary Depression Scale total score ≤ 10

• Subjects will meet the following cognitive performance criteria:

  • Performance less than the maximum cutoff (in parentheses) for ONE of the following MCCB tests: i.) Letter-number span (20); ii.) HVLT total (31); and iii.) CPT d-prime (3.47)
  • Able to complete the baseline MCCB validly as assessed by Chief Neuropsychologist or NP tester
  • Raw score of 6 or greater on the WTAR

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current treatment with conventional antipsychotics (e.g. fluphenazine, haloperidol) or clozapine
• Current treatment (within 4 weeks) with psychotropic agents known to act at the GABAA receptor, including benzodiazepines; sedative-hypnotics other than trazadone and chloral hydrate; carbamazepine, gabapentin, lamotrigine, and valproic acid
• Current treatment (within 4 weeks) with a drug that inhibits CYP3A4, including: cimetidine; cyclosporine; erythromycin or erythromycin-like drugs (e.g., azithromycin, clarithromycin); diltiazem; fluoxetine, fluovoxamine; itraconazole, ketoconazole or other systemic antifungal agents in the azole class; nefazodone; or induce CYP3A4, including: carbamazepine, modafinil; phenobarbital; phenytoin; rifampin; St. Johns wort; and troglitazone.
• Current treatment (within 4 weeks) with psychotropic agents known to effect cognition: amphetamine; barbiturates; lithium; MAOIs; methylphenidate
• Current treatment (within 4 weeks) with herbal preparations with possible psychotropic effects (e.g., St.

Johns wort, kava-kava, Valerian, S-Adenosyl Methionine [SAMe])

• Current treatment (within 4 weeks) with systemic steroids
• Subjects with a DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol or substance abuse (other than nicotine) within the last month or a DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol or substance dependence (other than nicotine) within the last 6 months
• Presence of PI or greater posterior subcapsular cataracts
• Uveitis with 1+ or greater flare or cells
• Nuclear or cortical cataracts, if the severity of the cataracts is not appropriate for the age of the subject. This determination will be made by the examining ophthalmologist.

• Subjects with a history of significant head injury/trauma, as defined by one or more of the following:

  • Loss of consciousness (LOC) for more than 1 hour
  • Recurring seizures resulting from the head injury
  • Clear cognitive sequellae of the injury
  • Cognitive rehabilitation following the injury
• Subjects with a history of clinically significant neurological, metabolic, hepatic, renal, hematological, pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and/or urological disorders (e.g. unstable angina, decompensated congestive heart failure, CNS infection or history of HIV seropositivity), which would pose a risk to the patient if they were to participate in the study or that might confound the results of the study. Active medical conditions that are minor or well controlled are not exclusionary if they do not affect risk to the patient or the study results. For example, the following are not exclusionary: a) stable and well controlled hypertension (BP normally <160/95 for at least 3 months); b) asthma (no serious attacks in the past year); c) hypothyroidism (T4 within normal limits for at least 1 year); and d) Type II diabetes (subjects with a reported HgbA1c outside of normal limits within the last 6 months should be reviewed with the study site investigator).
• Clinically significant abnormalities in physical examination, ECG, or laboratory assessments
• A positive test for Hepatitis C antibody with concurrent evidence of impaired hepatic function (increased AST or ALT greater than 2 times the upper limit of normal) or positive tests for Hepatitis A antibody IgM fraction or Hepatitis B surface antigen, irrespective of the AST or ALT values.
• Pregnant women or women of child-bearing potential, who are either not surgically-sterile or using appropriate methods of birth control
• Women who are breast-feeding
• History of severe symptoms of benzodiazepine withdrawal (e.g., history of seizures or delirium associated with withdrawal)
• Patient has received ECT treatment within the last 3 months
• Prior participation in a clinical trial of any other psychotropic medication within 2 months