Atypical antipsychotic drug treatment for 6 months restores N-acetylaspartate in left prefrontal cortex and left thalamus of first-episode patients with early onset schizophrenia: A magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.
Early onset schizophrenia (EOS) is often associated with poorer outcomes, including lack of school education, higher risk of mental disability and resistance to treatment. But the knowledge of the neurobiological mechanism of EOS is limited. Here, using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we investigated the possible neurochemical abnormalities in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and thalamus of first-episode drug-naïve patients with EOS, and followed up the effects of atypical antipsychotic treatment for 6 months on neurochemical metabolites and clinical symptoms. We measured the ratios of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho) to creatine (Cr) in 41 adolescents with first episode of EOS and in 28 healthy controls matched for age, gender, and years of education. The EOS patients presented with abnormally low NAA/Cr values in the left PFC and left thalamus with a reduced tendency in the right PFC compared with healthy controls. No significant differences were detected between groups for Cho/Cr in PFC and thalamus in any hemisphere. After atypical antipsychotic treatment for 6 months, the reduced NAA/Cr in the left PFC and left thalamus in EOS patients was elevated to the normal level in healthy controls, without any alteration in Cho/Cr. We also found that there was no significant correlation between the neurochemical metabolite ratios in the PFC and thalamus in patients with EOS, and clinical characteristics. Our results suggest that there was neurochemical metabolite abnormalities in PFC and thalamus in EOS patients, atypical antipsychotic treatment can effectively relieve the symptoms and restore the reduced NAA in PFC and thalamus.
Mental Diseases Prevention and Treatment Institute of Chinese PLA, PLA 91st Central Hospital, Jiaozuo 454003, PR China. Electronic address: cco91@163.com.
Jing-Li
JL
Gan
Mental Diseases Prevention and Treatment Institute of Chinese PLA, PLA 91st Central Hospital, Jiaozuo 454003, PR China.
Zheng-Xiang
ZX
Cheng
Mental Diseases Prevention and Treatment Institute of Chinese PLA, PLA 91st Central Hospital, Jiaozuo 454003, PR China.
Hui-Feng
HF
Duan
Center for Medical Imaging, PLA 91st Central Hospital, Jiaozuo 454003, PR China.
Jia-Ming
JM
Yang
Mental Diseases Prevention and Treatment Institute of Chinese PLA, PLA 91st Central Hospital, Jiaozuo 454003, PR China.
Xi-Quan
XQ
Zhu
Mental Diseases Prevention and Treatment Institute of Chinese PLA, PLA 91st Central Hospital, Jiaozuo 454003, PR China.
Cun-You
CY
Gao
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002794:Choline / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D003401:Creatine / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011522:Protons; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D011522:Protons; D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline
Atypical antipsychotics; Early onset schizophrenia; Left prefrontal cortex; Left thalamus; N-acetylaspartate; Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy