Patients with schizophrenia who take antipsychotic medications appear to lose a small but measurable amount of brain tissue over time, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
Schizophrenia affects 1 percent of the worldwide population and remains a leading cause of chronic disability among young adults.
Progressive changes in brain volume observed in patients with schizophrenia have been thought to be an effect of the disease. “However, recent animal studies indicate that antipsychotics, the mainstay of treatment for schizophrenia patients, may also contribute to brain tissue volume decrement,” the authors write. “Because antipsychotics are prescribed for long periods for schizophrenia patients and have increasingly widespread use in other psychiatric disorders, it is imperative to determine their long-term effects on the human brain.”