Journal article
The effect of atypical antipsychotics on pituitary gland volume in patients with first-episode psychosis: A longitudinal MRI study
John-Paul Nicolo, Gregor E Berger, Belinda A Garner, Dennis Velakoulis, Connie Markulev, Melissa Kerr, Patrick D McGorry, Tina-Marie Proffitt, Mirabel McConchie, Christos Pantelis, Stephen J Wood
Schizophrenia Research | Elsevier BV | Published : 2010
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pituitary volume is currently measured as a marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal hyperactivity in patients with psychosis despite suggestions of susceptibility to antipsychotics. Qualifying and quantifying the effect of atypical antipsychotics on the volume of the pituitary gland will determine whether this measure is valid as a future estimate of HPA-axis activation in psychotic populations. AIMS: To determine the qualitative and quantitative effect of atypical antipsychotic medications on pituitary gland volume in a first-episode psychosis population. METHOD: Pituitary volume was measured from T1-weighted magnetic resonance images in a group of 43 first-episode psychosis pa..
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