Dopamine synthesis in psychosis: relationship to cannabis and treatment response

Oliver Howes

doi:10.25006/ia.4.s2-a16.4

Dopamine, glutamate and biotypes in the future of schizophrenia

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.1625 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. s829-s829 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

H. Prata-Ribeiro ◽

A. Ponte ◽

G. Luísa

Keyword(s):

Treatment Response ◽

Antipsychotic Medication ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Striatal Dopamine ◽

Response To Treatment ◽

Dopamine Synthesis ◽

Dsm V ◽

Clinical Advantage ◽

Competing Interest ◽

Classification And Treatment

IntroductionApproximately a third of patients with schizophrenia show limited response to antipsychotic medication. As several studies have been suggesting new classifications to schizophrenia, our aim is to review different hypothesis and seek a new way of approaching patient's treatment in day-to-day practice.MethodsThe methods we used consisted on reviewing several papers that have recently been published on the area of classification and treatment of schizophrenia, considering an approach to the findings that enables a practical and clinical advantage in the area.DiscussionNew studies suggest that neuroimaging measures of dopamine and glutamate function might provide a means of stratifying patients with psychosis according to their response to treatment. Some of those studies associate treatment response with the anterior cingulate level of glutamate and striatal dopamine synthesis capacity. Other study identified three biotypes with different outcomes to psychosis, reaching a stronger association between biotypes as predictors of illness severity than the DSM-V classification. If a correlation between these studies was found, we would be able, in theory, to predict the response to treatment using simple and affordable neurobiological measures.ConclusionAssociating the anterior cingulate glutamate levels, the striatal dopamine synthesis capacity and biotypes hypothesis in schizophrenia, one can expect to be possible to predict the degree of response to treatment, based on more affordable methods to day-to-day clinicians than the measure of neurotransmitter levels, enabling the regular clinicians to narrow their pharmacological options for patients, achieving better results in the approach to schizophrenia.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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Genes Predict Treatment Response in Hepatitis C

Internal Medicine News ◽

10.1016/s1097-8690(08)70929-6 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 41 (16) ◽

pp. 33

Author(s):

KATE JOHNSON

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis C ◽

Treatment Response ◽

Predict Treatment Response

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A Case of Catatonia in a 14-Year-Old Girl with Schizophrenia Treated with Electroconvulsive Therapy

Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie ◽

10.1024/1422-4917/a000211 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

pp. 69-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Frank Häßler ◽

Olaf Reis ◽

Steffen Weirich ◽

Jacqueline Höppner ◽

Birgit Pohl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Treatment Response ◽

Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Combined Treatment ◽

Adolescent Patient

This article presents a case of a 14-year-old female twin with schizophrenia who developed severe catatonia following treatment with olanzapine. Under a combined treatment with amantadine, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and (currently) ziprasidone alone she improved markedly. Severity and course of catatonia including treatment response were evaluated with the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS). This case report emphasizes the benefit of ECT in the treatment of catatonic symptoms in an adolescent patient with schizophrenic illness.

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