Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. Contributor Information Giulia Serra, NeSMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs), School of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, UOC Psychiatry, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy and Centro Lucio Bini, Rome, Italy.

Lavinia De Chiara, NeSMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs), School of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, UOC Psychiatry, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy and Centro Lucio Bini, Rome, Italy. Giovanni Manfredi, NeSMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Organs), School of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, UOC Psychiatry, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Sant’Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy and Centro Lucio Bini, Rome, Italy. Alexia E. Koukopoulos, NeSMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs), School of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, UOC Psychiatry, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy and Centro Lucio Bini, Rome, Italy. Gabriele Sani, NeSMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs), School of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, UOC

Psychiatry, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy and Centro Lucio Bini, Rome, Italy and IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Department Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Neuropsychiatry Laboratory, Rome, Italy. Paolo Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Girardi, NeSMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs), School of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, UOC Psychiatry, Sant’Andrea

Hospital, Rome, Italy and Centro Lucio Bini, Rome, Italy and IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Neuropsychiatry Laboratory, Rome, Italy. Athanasios Koukopoulos, Centro Lucio Bini, Rome, Italy. Gino Serra, Department of Biomedical Sciences, 5FU University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical 43/b, 07100 Sassari Italy.
Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have cognitive deficits compared with their relatives, normal controls and patients diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders, for example, depression and bipolar disorder [Buchanan et al. 2005; Cannon et al. 1994; Caspi et al. 2003; Nielsen, 2011]. The cognitive deficits appear before first psychosis and remain stable over time [Caspi et al. 2003; Szoke et al. through 2008], although some authors have proposed a more neurodegenerative hypothesis regarding the cognitive function [Levander et al. 2001; Rund, 2009]. Several central nervous system receptors are being investigated as to their effect on cognitive function in general and in patients with schizophrenia [Wallace et al. 2011]. Previous studies have shown some implication of the muscarinergic receptor system on cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia [Fagerlund et al. 2007; Freedman et al. 2008; Keefe et al. 2007; Minzenberg et al. 2004; Shekhar et al.