title: Pituitary volume increase during emerging psychosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Morphologic abnormalities of the pituitary gland volume (PV) have been reported in schizophrenia, but at what point in time they occur remains unclear. This study determines PV across different stages of emerging psychotic disorders compared to healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared PV of 36 individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis, 23 patients with a first episode psychosis (FEP) and 20 healthy controls (HC). Transition to psychosis was monitored using the BPRS transition criteria according to Yung et al. (Yung, A.R. et al., 1998. Prediction of psychosis. A step towards indicated prevention of schizophrenia. Br. J. Psychiatry Suppl. 172 (33), 14-20). Applying these transition criteria, 16 of the 36 ARMS individuals made the transition to psychosis (ARMS-T) and 20 did not (ARMS-NT). We traced PV manually on 1mm slices of magnetic resonance images in three dimensions (coronal, sagittal and axial) blind to group status. We used univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with PV as dependent variable, group and sex as between-subject factors and whole brain volume as covariate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PV increased from HC to ARMS-NT to ARMS-T/FEP. ANCOVA revealed a significant effect of group (F(3,78)=3.0; p=.036) and a sex × group interaction (F(3,78)=6.5; p=.001). Over all groups, women had considerably larger PV than men (F(1,78)=9.8; p=.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings provide further evidence that PV is increased in emerging psychotic disorders, and suggest that this is due to a stress-associated activation of the pituitary gland.
authors.affiliation: University Psychiatric Outpatient Department, Psychiatric University Clinics Basel, c/o University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland. Jeannine.Bueschlen@stud.unibas.ch
authors.forename: Jeannine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Büschlen
authors.forename: Gregor E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Stefan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Borgwardt
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aston
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gschwandtner
authors.forename: Marlon O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Pflueger
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kuster
authors.forename: Ernst Wilhem
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Radü
authors.forename: Rolf-Dieter
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Stieglitz
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Riecher-Rössler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult