Predictors of response to clozapine.
Clinical and biological measures were examined for their relationship to clinical response to clozapine. Associations were found between therapeutic response and the following variables: male gender, paranoid schizophrenia subtype diagnosis, older age at onset of illness, shorter duration of illness, higher levels of pretreatment acute EPS, low pretreatment CSF HVA/5-HIAA, greater decrease in prolactin (PRL) and increase in growth hormone (GH) response to apomorphine stimulation pretreatment and greater inhibition by clozapine treatment of PRL and GH response to apomorphine, and plasma clozapine levels above 350 ng/mL. These results are consistent with other investigators' findings and have practical and heuristic implications for the use of clozapine and understanding its mechanism of action.
Department of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Hillside Hospital, Division of Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Glen Oaks, N.Y. 11004.
J A
JA
Lieberman
J M
JM
Kane
A Z
AZ
Safferman
S
S
Pollack
A
A
Howard
S
S
Szymanski
S J
SJ
Masiar
M H
MH
Kronig
T
T
Cooper
H
H
Novacenko
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001480:Basal Ganglia Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D003024:Clozapine / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011336:Probability; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D011388:Prolactin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D003024:Clozapine; D001058:Apomorphine