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Signal Attenuation as a Rat Model of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Published on: January 9, 2015
Emergence of obsessive compulsive symptoms during treatment with clozapine
R W Baker1, K N Chengappa, J W Baird
1Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15213.
Background:
Clozapine differs from other currently available antipsychotics in its prominent serotonin blockade. We explore the relationship between clozapine and obsessive compulsive symptoms, which have been linked to deficient serotonin.
Method:
We reviewed our experience in treating 49 chronic schizophrenic patients with clozapine.
Results:
Five patients were identified who experienced either de novo obsessive compulsive symptoms or exacerbation of preexistent symptoms. Clinical details are provided for each case.
Conclusion:
Clozapine may produce or unmask obsessive compulsive symptoms. This may reflect a variation on the normal course of clinical improvement, or may more specifically result from clozapine's atypical pattern of CNS receptor antagonism. Further attention to this issue is warranted.
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