|
|
Article: Antipsychotics and brain changes.(bloated basal ganglia associated with schizophrenia)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- December 19, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The use of antipsychotic drugs, rather than the action of a distinct disease process, appears to bloat the volume of several innerbrain regions in people diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to a team of neuroscientists.
The researchers, led by Raquel E. Gur of the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia, administered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to 96 psychiatric patients with schizophrenia--a severe disturbance of thought and mood--and 128 people who had no psychiatric ailments. Of the patients, 21 had never taken antipsychotic medication, 48 had received only haloperidol or other traditional antipsychotics for about 3 years, and ...