Antipsychotic Drugs Linked to Slight Decrease in Brain Volume

A study published in the journal PLOS ONE has confirmed a link between antipsychotic medication and a slight, but measureable, decrease in brain volume in patients with schizophrenia. A team of researchers has identified the rate of decrease in both healthy individuals and patients with schizophrenia. They also documented where in the brain schizophrenia patients have more atrophy, and have examined links between atrophy and antipsychotic medication. By comparing brain scans of 33 patients with schizophrenia with 71 control subjects over a period of nine years – from age 34 to 43 – the researchers were able to show that schizophrenia patients lost brain volume at a rate of 0.7 percent each year, while the control participants lost brain volume at a rate of 0.5 percent per year. The researchers also looked at whether there was any link between the volume of brain lost and the severity of symptoms or loss of cognitive function, but found no effect. “It’s important to stress that the loss of brain volume doesn’t appear to have any effect on people over the nine year follow-up we conducted, and patients should not stop their medication on the basis of this research, ” noted Dr. Graham Murray from the University of Cambridge. To learn more about the study, click here.