Importance of pharmacologic control in PET studies: effects of thiothixene and haloperidol on cerebral glucose utilization in chronic schizophrenia.
This study compares the effects of two neuroleptic drugs with different pharmacologic characteristics (thiothixene and haloperidol) on cerebral glucose utilization in chronic schizophrenic inpatients. Positron emission tomographic (PET) scans were obtained from all subjects in a neuroleptic-free condition and again after 4-6 weeks of neuroleptic treatment. Eight subjects were treated with thiothixene and 12 with haloperidol. Thiothixene and haloperidol had different metabolic effects. For example, all thiothixene-treated subjects showed increased whole brain glucose utilization; all but one haloperidol-treated subject showed decreased utilization. Different patterns of relative prefrontal and striatal metabolism were also observed. These results highlight the importance of controlling for the effects of neuroleptic treatment and indicate the difficulty of interpreting data from studies with complex or poorly defined drug regimens.
Bartlett
E J
EJ
Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, NY 10016.
Wolkin
A
A
Brodie
J D
JD
Laska
E M
EM
Wolf
A P
AP
Sanfilipo
M
M
D000328:Adult; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013888:Thiothixene / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D001786:Blood Glucose; D013888:Thiothixene; D006220:Haloperidol