RESUMO
Twenty-seven medicated chronic schizophrenic female patients were tested for right or left turning behavior. No substantial right or left asymmetry was found, nor did the addition of the indirect dopaminergic agonist amantadine influence these results. Previous studies demonstrated left circling preference in chronic unmedicated schizophrenics and it seems that this previous finding is abolished by neuroleptic treatment. However, our patients were all females and further research with a heterogenous group of schizophrenic patients is needed.
Assuntos
Amantadina , Antipsicóticos/uso terapêutico , Dominância Cerebral/efeitos dos fármacos , Dopaminérgicos , Esquizofrenia/tratamento farmacológico , Psicologia do Esquizofrênico , Comportamento Estereotipado/efeitos dos fármacos , Adulto , Antipsicóticos/efeitos adversos , Doença Crônica , Dominância Cerebral/fisiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Escalas de Graduação Psiquiátrica , Esquizofrenia/fisiopatologia , Comportamento Estereotipado/fisiologiaRESUMO
Various findings suggest auto-immune changes in schizophrenia. We have recently demonstrated that platelets from schizophrenic patients bear autoantibodies (PAA) which cross-react with brain antigens. Accordingly, treatment of schizophrenia with an immunosuppressant might be of potential benefit. In a recent case study, a chronic schizophrenic patient treated with azathioprine has demonstrated a clear psychiatric improvement preceded by a decrease in PAA level. A phase I study designed for assessing side-effects of short-term azathioprine treatment in a group of schizophrenic patients is described here. From a group of 40 chronic non-responsive patients, 14 patients demonstrating high PAA level have entered the study and 11 have complied all along. Two groups were tested in parallel. In the first (6 patients) 150 mg/day was given for 7 weeks while in the second (5 patients) the same regimen was given for two periods of 7 weeks with an interval of 6 weeks. Blood biochemistry and cell count, as well as determination of PAA were carried out weekly, starting 3 weeks before the trial and continuing up to 7 weeks after the treatment. Two out of 11 patients developed leucopenia in week 4. No other side-effects were recorded in any of the patients. A substantial reduction in PAA was observed in 3 out of 6 patients in group I and 4 out of 5 in group II. Two patients showed improvement of psychiatric symptomatology. Our results demonstrate that short-term azathioprine treatment induces transient leucopenia in 18% of the patients receiving the drug, much alike the percentage reported for other patient populations.
