Journal
PROGRESS IN NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
Volume 35, Issue 1, Pages 177-183Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.10.023
Keywords
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; Magnetic resonance imaging; Pituitary gland; Schizophrenia; Schizotypal disorder
Funding
- Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science [19591346, 22591275]
- Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan [17-2, 18-6, 20-3]
- Research Group of Schizophrenia
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [20591393, 22591275] Funding Source: KAKEN
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An enlarged volume of the pituitary gland has been reported in the schizophrenia spectrum, possibly reflecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) hyperactivity. However, it remains largely unknown whether the pituitary size longitudinally changes in the course of the spectrum disorders. In the present study, longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were obtained from 18 patients with first-episode schizophrenia, 13 patients with schizotypal disorder, and 20 healthy controls. The pituitary volume was measured at baseline and follow-up (mean, 2.7 years) scans and was compared across groups. The pituitary volume was larger in the schizophrenia patients than controls at baseline, and both patient groups had significantly larger pituitary volume than controls at follow-up. In a longitudinal comparison, both schizophrenia (3.6%/year) and schizotypal (2.7%/year) patients showed significant pituitary enlargement compared with controls (-1.8%/year). In the schizophrenia patients, greater pituitary enlargement over time was associated with less improvement of delusions and higher scores for thought disorders at the follow-up. These findings suggest that the pituitary gland exhibits ongoing volume changes during the early course of the schizophrenia spectrum as a possible marker of state-related impairments. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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