Il ruolo della terapia farmacologica nelle patologie dello spettro bipolare schizofrenico

BACKGROUND: although the evidence suggests neuronal changes early in psychosis, is still highly debated the specific role of antipsychotic treatment. Some studies have shown that a high cumulative dose of antipsychotic medication is not associated with changes in brain volume and possibly the use of atypical drugs may be associated with changes in volumetric less pronounced. Quite the contrary, recent studies have shown that the use of antipsychotics prescribed according to normal clinical practice in patients with first-episode schizophrenia is associated with a reduction of the brain volume measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Also other scientific evidence showed a protective effect differently depending whether it's typical and atypical antipsychotics on changes in volumetric power in schizophrenia. Scientific studies also suggest a possible protective role of lithium on brain volumes: in fact, in patients suffering from bipolar spectrum schizophrenic, the use of lithium is associated with increased spread of the gray matter and patients not taking lithium have brain volumes reduced compared to patients treated with lithium. Equally bipolar patients on lithium treatment showed a slight but significant increase in tests for the assessment of verbal memory during a follow-up of 4 years, indicating a possible protective role of lithium on hippocampal function. AIM OF THE STUDY: to evaluate the role of drug therapies in the modulation of cognitive and neuroanatomical abnormalities in patients with bipolar spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. METHODS: sample of 64 patients with bipolar spectrum disorders and schizophrenia, related to Unit of Psychiatry of Conegliano and recruited by the project of Ricerca Sanitaria Finalizzata Regione Veneto n. 293/08, are extracted CNS drug therapies prescribed in the two years preceding the date on which they were subjected to the study of neuroimaging. The databases are queried: Eid and Cineca. RESULTS: of the total sample consists of 64 patients (28 women ...