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Published on: April 28, 2016
Investigation of molecular serum profiles associated with predisposition to antipsychotic-induced weight gain
Emanuel Schwarz1, Johann Steiner, Paul C Guest
1Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge , Cambridge , UK.
Objectives:
Metabolic disturbances are major adverse side effects in the treatment of schizophrenia patients with antipsychotics. A substantial proportion of patients discontinue treatment with second-generation antipsychotics due to weight gain. The objective of this study was to investigate molecular factors predisposing patients to the development of such metabolic disturbances.
Methods:
We investigated whether serum molecules measured before treatment initiation were associated with subsequent weight gain following a 6-week treatment with antipsychotics. The concentrations of 191 molecules were measured longitudinally in serum from 77 schizophrenia patients using multiplex immunoassays.
Results:
This showed that the levels of 10 serum molecules at T0 were significantly associated with ΔBMI, which included interleukin-6 receptor, epidermal growth factor and thyroid stimulating hormone.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that patients who experience antipsychotic-induced weight gain have specific molecular alterations already prior to treatment. Further studies are required to validate and evaluate current findings in the context of response and side-effect development. This may ultimately lead to molecular tests that can aid in the selection of antipsychotic treatments.
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