Differential Effects of Illness and Antipsychotics on Cortical Thinning in First-Episode Psychosis: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Abstract

Background Cortical gray matter loss is a common finding in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of psychosis and can progress with ongoing illness. A major unresolved question concerns whether these changes are driven by the illness or represent iatrogenic effects of antipsychotics. Methods In a triple-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled MRI study, 62 antipsychotic-naïve people with first-episode psychosis (FEP) received a second-generation antipsychotic or placebo over 6 months ( n = 35 at 12 months) alongside a healthy control group ( n = 27 at baseline, n = 21 at 12 months). T1-weighted scans were collected at baseline, 3 months, and 12 months. Linear mixed-effects models fitted to..