title: Changes in serum lipids, independent of weight, are associated with changes in symptoms during long-term clozapine treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Investigators have reported that weight gain attributed to clozapine is associated with its clinical response. However, weight gain is a nonspecific physiological variable that, in itself, does not explain the mechanism underlying this relation. Alternatively, other biological variables that are often associated with weight gain, such as serum lipids, may assist in explaining this observation. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether an increase in serum lipids is associated with improvement in schizophrenia symptoms during steady state treatment with clozapine.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data for this study represent a subset of data from a randomized, double-blinded trial that evaluated subjects with schizophrenia who demonstrated a poor treatment response to clozapine. While continuing their clozapine therapy, subjects were randomly assigned to receive either risperidone 3 mg daily or placebo for 8 weeks. This course of treatment was followed by an optional (open-label) 18 weeks of augmentation with risperidone. In the present study, we included all subjects from the previously reported trial who had fasting lipid analyses and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores from days 7 and 63 (n = 55). For the primary analyses, we used multiple regression to examine the association between serum lipid concentrations and PANSS scores, after controlling for weight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analyses showed that the change in serum lipid concentration predicted change in symptoms over that of change in weight. Specifically, an increase in serum triglyceride concentration was associated with a decrease in the total PANSS score (p = 0.037). In addition, an increase in either serum total cholesterol concentration (p = 0.007), serum triglyceride concentration (p = 0.017) or their combined effect (p = 0.010) was associated with a decrease in PANSS negative subscale scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevation of serum lipids is associated with an improvement in schizophrenia symptoms in subjects treated with clozapine. Although the mechanism is unclear, serum lipids may play a role in influencing clozapine's therapeutic activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Riverview Hospital, Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada. rprocyshyn@bcmhs.bc.ca
authors.forename: Ric M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Procyshyn
authors.forename: Kishor M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Wasan
authors.forename: Allen E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.forename: Alasdair M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: Eric Y H
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pomarol-Clotet
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stip
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: G William
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Macewan
authors.forename: C Laird
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Birmingham
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Honer
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D003024:Clozapine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D018967:Risperidone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*