Schizophrenia Research
Volume 116, Issue 1 , Pages 49-54 , January 2010

The effect of atypical antipsychotics on pituitary gland volume in patients with first-episode psychosis: A longitudinal MRI study

  • John-Paul Nicolo

      Affiliations

    • Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Australia
  • ,
  • Gregor E. Berger

      Affiliations

    • Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia
    • Clienia Schoessli Clinic, Oetwil-am-See, Switzerland
  • ,
  • Belinda A. Garner

      Affiliations

    • Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia
  • ,
  • Dennis Velakoulis

      Affiliations

    • Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Australia
  • ,
  • Connie Markulev

      Affiliations

    • Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia
  • ,
  • Melissa Kerr

      Affiliations

    • Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia
  • ,
  • Patrick D. McGorry

      Affiliations

    • Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia
  • ,
  • Tina-Marie Proffitt

      Affiliations

    • Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia
  • ,
  • Mirabel McConchie

      Affiliations

    • Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia
  • ,
  • Christos Pantelis

      Affiliations

    • Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Australia
  • ,
  • Stephen J. Wood

      Affiliations

    • Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Australia
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, c/o National Neuroscience Facility, 161 Barry Street, Carlton South, Victoria, Australia. Tel.: +61 3 8344 1877; fax: +61 3 9348 0469.

Received 27 May 2009 ,Revised 8 September 2009 ,Accepted 11 October 2009.

References 

  1. Berger GE, Proffitt TM, McConchie M, Kerr M, Markulev C, Yuen HP, et al. Dosing quetiapine in drug-naive first-episode psychosis: a controlled, double-blind, randomized, single-center study investigating efficacy, tolerability, and safety of 200mg/day vs. 400mg/day of quetiapine fumarate in 141 patients aged 15 to 25years. J. Clin. Psychiatry. 2008;69(11):1702–1714
  2. Cohrs S, Röher C, Jordan W, Meier A, Huether G, Wuttke W, et al. The atypical antipsychotics olanzapine and quetiapine, but not haloperidol, reduce ACTH and cortisol secretion in healthy subjects. Psychopharmacology. 2006;185:11–18
  3. Cotter D, Pariante CM. Stress and the progression of the developmental hypothesis of schizophrenia. Br. J. Psychiatry. 2002;181:363–365
  4. First MB, Spitzer RL, Gibbon M, Williams JBW. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, Vol. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Press; 1997;
  5. Garner B, Pariante CM, Wood SJ, Velakoulis D, Phillips L, Soulsby B, et al. Pituitary volume predicts future transition to psychosis in individuals at ultra-high risk of developing psychosis. Biol. Psychiatry. 2005;58:417–423
  6. Hatzimanolis J, Lykouras L, Markianos M, Oulis P. Neurochemical variables in schizophrenic patients during switching from neuroleptics to clozapine. Prog. Neuro-Psychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry. 1998;22:1077–1085
  7. Ismail K, Murray RM, Wheeler MJ, O'Keane V. The dexamethasone suppression test in schizophrenia. Psychol. Med. 1998;28:311–317
  8. Kay SR, Fiszbein A, Opler LA. The positive and negative syndrome scale(PANSS) for schizophrenia. Schizophr. Bull. 1987;13:261–276
  9. MacMaster FP, El-Sheikh R, Upadhyaya AR, Nutche J, Rosenberg DR, Keshavan M. Effect of antipsychotics on pituitary gland volume in treatment-naive first-episode schizophrenia: a pilot study. Schizophr. Res. 2007;92:207–210
  10. Markianos M, Hatzimanolis J, Lykouras L. Switch from neuroleptics to clozapine does not influence pituitary-gonadal axis hormone levels in male schizophrenic patients. Eur. Neuropsychopharmacol. 1999;9:533–536
  11. Markianos M, Hatzimanolis J, Lykouras L. Neuroendocrine responsivities of the pituitary dopamine system in male schizophrenic patients during treatment with clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, sulpiride, or haloperidol. Eur. Arch. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 2001;251:141–146
  12. Meltzer HY. Clinical studies on the mechanism of action of clozapine: the dopamine-serotonin hypothesis of schizophrenia. Psychopharmacology. 1989;99:18–27
  13. Pariante CM, Vassilopoulou K, Velakoulis D, Phillips L, Soulsby B, Wood SJ, et al. Pituitary volume in psychosis. Br. J. Psychiatry. 2004;185:5–10
  14. Pariante CM, Dazzan P, Danese A, Morgan KD, Brudaglio F, Morgan C, et al. Increased pituitary volume in antipsychotic-free and antipsychotic-treated patients of the AEsop first-onset psychosis study. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2005;30:1923–1931
  15. Phillips LJ, McGorry PD, Garner B, Thompson KN, Pantelis C, Wood SJ, et al. Stress, the hippocampus and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: implications for the development of psychotic disorders. Aust. N. Z. J. Psychiatry. 2006;40:725–741
  16. Phillips LJ, Francey SM, Edwards J, McMurray N. Stress and psychosis: towards the development of new models of investigation. Clin. Psychol. Rev. 2007;27:307–317
  17. Ryan MCM, Sharifi N, Condren R, Thakore JH. Evidence of basal pituitary-adrenal overactivity in first episode, drug naive patients with schizophrenia. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2004;29:1065–1070
  18. Sassi RB, Nicoletti M, Brambilla P, Harenski K, Mallinger AG, Frank E, et al. Decreased pituitary volume in patients with bipolar disorder. Biol. Psychiatry. 2001;50:271–280
  19. Takahashi T, Suzuki M, Velakoulis D, Lorenzetti V, Soulsby B, Zhou SY, et al. Increased pituitary volume in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Schizophr. Res. 2009;108:114–121
  20. Tournikioti K, Tansella M, Perlini C, Rambaldelli G, Cerini R, Versace A, et al. Normal pituitary volumes in chronic schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res. Neuroimaging. 2007;154:41–48
  21. Upadhyaya AR, El-Sheikh R, MacMaster FP, Diwadkar VA, Keshavan MS. Pituitary volume in neuroleptic-naive schizophrenia: a structural MRI study. Schizophr. Res. 2007;90:266–273

PII: S0920-9964(09)00492-7

doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2009.10.005

Schizophrenia Research
Volume 116, Issue 1 , Pages 49-54 , January 2010