MRI-based insights into brain structural and functional alterations in schizophrenia treated with risperidone.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Radiology

Background:

• Schizophrenia (SZ) is a severe psychiatric disorder treated primarily with antipsychotics.
• Risperidone is a key antipsychotic for managing positive and negative symptoms and improving cognitive function in SZ.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) advances enable investigation of risperidone's effects on neural pathways, efficacy, and outcomes in SZ.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current findings on risperidone's impact on brain structure and function in schizophrenia patients.
• To summarize neural mechanisms, therapeutic benefits, and potential side effects of risperidone treatment.
• To identify areas for future research, including longitudinal studies and advanced imaging methods.

Main Methods:

• Literature search in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science.
• Analysis and summarization of studies on risperidone use in schizophrenia treatment.
• Focus on alterations in brain structure and function associated with risperidone therapy.

Main Results:

• Risperidone treatment markedly affects structural and functional regions in SZ patients.
• Key affected areas include the prefrontal lobe, temporal lobe, cingulate gyrus, corona radiata, basal ganglia, and corpus callosum.
• Observed changes span gray matter, white matter, and functional brain activity and connectivity.

Conclusions:

• Current research primarily covers short-term effects of risperidone, with limited longitudinal data.
• Further research is needed to assess long-term efficacy and side effects.
• Advanced imaging techniques like DKI, DSI, and brain covariance networks offer future research potential.