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Antipsychotic and benzodiazepine use and brain morphology in schizophrenia and affective psychoses - Systematic reviews and birth cohort study.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Article

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Authors

Huhtaniska, Sanna 
Korkala, Iikka 
Heikka, Tuomas 
Björnholm, Lassi 
Lehtiniemi, Heli 

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to investigate differences in brain structure volumes between schizophrenia and affective psychoses, and whether cumulative lifetime antipsychotic or benzodiazepine doses relate to brain morphology in these groups. We conducted two systematic reviews on the topic and investigated 44 schizophrenia cases and 19 with affective psychoses from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. The association between lifetime antipsychotic and benzodiazepine dose and brain MRI scans at the age of 43 was investigated using linear regression. Intracranial volume, sex, illness severity, and antipsychotic/benzodiazepine doses were used as covariates. There were no differences between the groups in brain structure volumes. In schizophrenia, after adjusting for benzodiazepine dose and symptoms, a negative association between lifetime antipsychotic dose and the nucleus accumbens volume remained. In affective psychoses, higher lifetime benzodiazepine dose associated with larger volumes of total gray matter and hippocampal volume after controlling for antipsychotic use and symptoms. It seems that in addition to antipsychotics, the severity of symptoms and benzodiazepine dose are also associated with brain structure volumes. These results suggest, that benzodiazepine effects should also be investigated also independently and not only as a confounder.

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Keywords

Affective psychoses, Brain, MRI, Psychopharmacology, Schizophrenia, Adult, Affective Disorders, Psychotic, Antipsychotic Agents, Benzodiazepines, Brain, Cohort Studies, Female, Finland, Humans, Linear Models, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Organ Size, Schizophrenia

Journal Title

Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0925-4927
1872-7506

Volume Title

281

Publisher

Elsevier BV