title: Changes in heart rate dynamics of patients with schizophrenia treated with risperidone.
abstract: Neurocardiac dysregulation has been reported in schizophrenia. Indices of heart rate variability (HRV) are useful in assessing the status of cardiac autonomic regulation. We explored within-subject changes in HRV indices in acutely ill patients with schizophrenia treated with risperidone. Sixteen medication-naïve or medication-free patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia completed electrocardiogram (ECG) assessments at baseline and after six weeks of treatment with risperidone. Indices of HRV were extracted from 5-min resting ECG recordings and compared to those obtained from control subjects matched for age and gender. Psychiatric and drug-induced extrapyramidal symptoms were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale (DIEPSS). In comparison with matched controls, patients with acute schizophrenia showed lower values of time-domain measures, lower high-frequency power (HF) and a higher ratio of low to high frequency (LF/HF). In the within-subject analyses, a significant decrease in LF/HF was associated with risperidone treatment. In addition, LF/HF, which initially co-clustered with clinical variables, congregated with other HRV measures after the six-week risperidone treatment. These results indicate that, in the therapeutic process, risperidone treatment may exert a beneficial influence on the sympathovagal imbalance in acute schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 166 Gumi-Ro, Bundang-Gu, Seongnam-Si, Gyeonggi-Do 463-707, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Seung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Cheol Sung
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Sang Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Kye Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Yu-Sang
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hong Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Dong Chung
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Yong Sik
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yong Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Ahn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018967:Risperidone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018967:Risperidone