title: A longitudinal study of alterations of hippocampal volumes and serum BDNF levels in association to atypical antipsychotics in a sample of first-episode patients with schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Schizophrenia is associated with structural and functional abnormalities of the hippocampus, which have been suggested to play an important role in the formation and emergence of schizophrenia syndrome. Patients with schizophrenia exhibit significant bilateral hippocampal volume reduction and progressive hippocampal volume decrease in first-episode patients with schizophrenia has been shown in many neuroimaging studies. Dysfunction of the neurotrophic system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The initiation of antipsychotic medication alters the levels of serum Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels. However it is unclear whether treatment with antipsychotics is associated with alterations of hippocampal volume and BDNF levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the present longitudinal study we investigated the association between serum BDNF levels and hippocampal volumes in a sample of fourteen first-episode drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia (FEP). MRI scans, BDNF and clinical measurements were performed twice: at baseline before the initiation of antipsychotic treatment and 8 months later, while the patients were receiving monotherapy with second generation antipsychotics (SGAs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that left hippocampal volume was decreased (corrected left HV [t = 2.977, df = 13, p = .011] at follow-up; We also found that the higher the BDNF levels change the higher were the differences of corrected left hippocampus after 8 months of treatment with atypical antipsychotics (Pearson r = 0.597, p = 0.024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association of BDNF with hippocampal volume alterations in schizophrenia merits further investigation and replication in larger longitudinal studies.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Psychiatry, "ATTIKON" General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rizos
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Radiology, "ATTIKON" General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Matilda A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Papathanasiou
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Psychiatry, "ATTIKON" General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece ; Department of Psychosis Studies, Section on Schizophrenia, Imaging and Therapeutics, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Panagiota G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Michalopoulou
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Microbiology Department, Athens Psychiatric Hospital "Dromokaition", Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Efstathios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laskos
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Radiology, "ATTIKON" General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Aggeliki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mazioti
authors.affiliation: Department of Informatics, Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kastania
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Psychiatry, "ATTIKON" General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vasilopoulou
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Psychiatry, "ATTIKON" General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Paraskevi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nikolaidou
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Psychiatry, "ATTIKON" General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Margaritis
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Psychiatry, "ATTIKON" General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Charalabos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Papageorgiou
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Psychiatry, "ATTIKON" General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Liappas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C579455:BDNF protein, human