Pituitary volume and early treatment response in drug-naïve first-episode psychosis patients

Abstract

Background: An early response to antipsychotic treatment in patients with psychosis has been associated with a better course and outcome. However, factors that predict treatment response are not well understood. The onset of schizophrenia and related disorders has been associated with increased levels of stress and hyper-activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This study examined whether pituitary volume at the onset of psychosis may be a potential predictor of early treatment response in first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients. Methods: We investigated the relationship between baseline pituitary volume and symptomatic treatment response over 12 weeks using mixed model an..