Publications (2)8 Total impact
-
Article: Correlation between testosterone, gonadotropins and prolactin and severity of negative symptoms in male patients with chronic schizophrenia.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between plasma levels of testosterone, FSH, LH and prolactin and the severity of negative symptoms in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Fifty-four male inpatients with chronic schizophrenia participated in this cross-sectional study. Twenty-five age-matched men without a history of psychiatric disorders or endocrine illnesses were used as controls. All patients were on risperidone 4 mg/day or haloperidol 10 mg/day and anticholinegic medication, biperidine 3 mg/day. The patients were assigned to groups with predominant negative and nonpredominant negative symptoms on the basis of their scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Plasma levels of testosterone and free testosterone in the patients with predominant and nonpredominant negative symptoms were significantly lower than those in normal controls. Furthermore, plasma levels of FSH and LH, in the patients with predominant negative symptoms but not in the nonpredominant negative symptoms, were significantly lower than those in the normal controls. In contrast, plasma level of prolactin in the predominant negative symptoms group but not in the nonpredominant negative symptoms group was significantly higher than the aged matched normal males. Significant inverse correlation between negative subscale scores of PANSS and plasma levels of testosterone and free testosterone in the patients with predominant negative symptoms were detected. There was also a positive correlation between prolactin plasma levels and negative subscale scores. The present study indicates that assessment of sex hormones and function of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadotropin axis could be an important biological marker for the severity of negative symptoms in schizophrenia and these findings may change the present pharmacotherapy for negative symptoms based on neuroendocrinology profiles of patients with schizophrenia.Schizophrenia Research 07/2006; 84(2-3):405-10. · 4.75 Impact Factor -
Article: Adjunctive estrogen treatment in women with chronic schizophrenia: a double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The estrogen hypothesis of schizophrenia postulates that estrogen exerts a protective effect against schizophrenia and that this partly explains the observed sex differences in premorbid adjustment, onset age, treatment response, and illness course. It has been suggested that estrogen supplementation can augment the treatment effects of antipsychotics. The purpose of the present investigation was to access the efficacy of ethinyl estradiol as an adjuvant agent in the treatment of premenopausal women with chronic schizophrenia in an 8-week, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial. Eligible participants in the study were 32 women of childbearing age with schizophrenia. All patients were inpatients, in the active phase of illness, and met DSM-IV criteria for chronic schizophrenia. Patients were allocated in a random fashion, 16 to haloperidol 15 mg/day plus ethinyl estradiol 0.05 mg/day and 16 to haloperidol 15 mg/day plus placebo for an 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Although both protocols significantly decreased the score of the positive, negative, and general psychopathological symptoms over the trial period, the combination of haloperidol and ethinyl estradiol showed a significant superiority over haloperidol alone in the treatment of positive and general psychopathology symptoms as well as Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total scores. Although the means Extrapyramidal Symptoms Rating Scale (ESRS) for the placebo group were higher than ethinyl estradiol group, the differences were not significant over the trial. A significant difference was observed between the overall mean biperiden dosages in the two groups. The results of this study suggest that estrogen may be an effective adjuvant agent in the management of women of childbearing age with chronic schizophrenia. Nevertheless, results of larger controlled trials are needed before recommendation for a broad clinical application can be made.Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 10/2003; 27(6):1007-12. · 3.25 Impact Factor
