Body and liver fat content and adipokines in schizophrenia: a magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy study.
BACKGROUND
Although antipsychotic treatment often causes weight gain and lipid abnormalities, quantitative analyses of tissue-specific body fat content and its distribution along with adipokines have not been reported for antipsychotic-treated patients.


OBJECTIVE
The purposes of the present study were to quantitatively assess abdominal and liver fat in patients with schizophrenia on antipsychotic treatment and age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy controls and to evaluate their associations with plasma leptin and adiponectin levels.


METHODS
In 13 schizophrenia patients on antipsychotic treatment and 11 age- and BMI-matched controls, we simultaneously quantified visceral and subcutaneous fat content using T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and liver fat content by1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Associations of tissue-specific fat content with plasma levels of leptin and adiponectin were evaluated.


RESULTS
Plasma adiponectin level (μg/mL) was not statistically different between groups (7.02 ± 2.67 vs. 7.59 ± 2.92), whereas plasma leptin level (ng/mL) trended to be higher in patients than in controls (11.82 ± 7.89 vs. 7.93 ± 5.25). The values of liver fat (%), visceral fat (L), and subcutaneous fat (L) were 9.64 ± 8.03 vs. 7.07 ± 7.35, 4.41 ± 1.64 vs. 3.31 ± 1.97, and 8.37 ± 3.34 vs. 7.16 ± 2.99 in patients vs. controls, respectively. Liver fat content was inversely correlated with adiponectin in controls (r =  - 0.87, p < 0.001) but not in patients (r =  - 0.26, p = 0.39). In both groups, visceral fat was inversely associated with adiponectin (controls : r =  - 0.66, p = 0.03; patients : r =  - 0.65, p = 0.02), while subcutaneous fat was positively correlated with leptin (controls : r = 0.90, p < 0.001; patients : r = 0.67, p = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that antipsychotic treatment may disrupt the physiological relationship between liver fat content and adiponectin but does not essentially affect the associations of adiponectin and leptin with visceral and subcutaneous compartments.
Department of Psychiatry, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University School of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea. jhnp@chol.com.|Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea. jhnp@chol.com.|Department of Psychiatry, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University School of Medicine, Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, 1198 Guwol-Dong, Namdong-Gu, Incheon, 405-760, Republic of Korea. jhnp@chol.com.
Jong-Hoon
JH
Kim
Division of Molecular Medicine, Gachon University School of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
Jung-Hyun
JH
Kim
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University School of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
Pil-Whan
PW
Park
Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University of Tübingen; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), München-Neuherberg, Germany.|Section on Experimental Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Jürgen
J
Machann
Institute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.|Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.|German Center for Diabetes Research, München-Neuherberg, Germany.
Michael
M
Roden
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University School of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
Sheen-Woo
SW
Lee
Metabolic Imaging, German Diabetes Center (DDZ), Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Auf'm Hennekamp 65, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany. jong-hee.hwang@ddz.uni-duesseldorf.de.
Jong-Hee
JH
Hwang
D054392:Adipokines / Q000378:metabolism; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism
D054392:Adipokines; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents
Abdominal and liver fat; Adiponectin; Antipsychotics; Leptin; MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Schizophrenia