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In schizophrenia, the age at illness onset may reflect genetic loading and predict prognosis. We aimed to compare the pre-treatment symptom profiles and clinical symptom responses to antipsychotic treatment of individuals with late-onset schizophrenia (LOS; onset age: 40-59 years) with individuals with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS; onset age < 18 years) or typical-onset schizophrenia (TOS; onset age: 18-39 years). We conducted an 8-week cohort study in inpatient departments of five mental health hospitals in five cities in China. We included 106 individuals with LOS, 80 with EOS, and 214 with TOS. Their onset of schizophrenia was within three years and the disorders were minimally treated. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to evaluate clinical symptoms at baseline and after 8 weeks of antipsychotic treatment. Mixed effect models were used to compare symptom improvement within eight weeks. Antipsychotic therapy reduced all PANSS factor scores in all three groups. LOS had significantly better improvement in PANSS positive factor scores than EOS at week 8 after adjusting for sex, duration of illness, dose equivalents of antipsychotics at baseline, sites as fixed effects, and individuals as random effects. LOS was associated with reduced positive factor scores at week 8 when receiving 1 mg olanzapine dose equivalent per 1 kg body weight compared with EOS or TOS. In conclusion, LOS had better early improvement of positive symptoms than EOS and TOS. Thus, personalized treatment for schizophrenia should consider the age of onset., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Dr. Hong has received or is planning to receive research funding or consulting fees from Mitsubishi, Your Energy Systems LLC, Neuralstem, Taisho, Heptares, Pfizer, Sound Pharma, Luye Pharma, Takeda, and Regeneron. None was involved in the design, analysis, or outcomes of the study. Other authors declare that the research was conducted without any relationships that could be interpreted as a potential conflict of interest or financial conflict., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Evidence indicates that cytokines are associated with cognitive deficits in schizophrenia; however, the underlying brain-behaviour mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesized that aberrations in brain structural connectivity mediate the cytokine effect in schizophrenia., Methods: In this study, we recruited patients with first-episode schizophrenia ( n = 75, average illness duration 12.3 months, average medication period 0.6 days) and healthy controls ( n = 44) of both sexes. We first conducted whole-blood RNA sequencing to detect differentially expressed genes. We also explored transcriptomic data on the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortices (dlPFC) retrieved from the CommonMind Consortium for gene functional clustering; we measured plasma transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; we acquired high-resolution T 1 -weighted MRI data on cortical thickness MRI; and we assessed cognitive function using the validated Chinese version of the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery. We compared these parameters in patients with schizophrenia and controls, and analyzed their associations., Results: Patients with schizophrenia had higher TGF-β1 at both the mRNA level (log 2 fold change = 0.24; adjusted p = 0.026) and the protein level (12.85 ± 6.01 μg/mL v. 8.46 ± 5.15 μg/mL, adjusted p < 0.001) compared to controls. Genes coexpressed with TGFB1 in the dlPFC were less abundant in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. In patients with schizophrenia, TGF-β1 protein levels were inversely correlated with cortical thickness, especially of the lateral occipital cortex ( r = -0.47, adjusted p = 0.001), and with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery visual learning and memory domain ( r = -0.50, adjusted p < 0.001). We found a complete mediation effect of the thickness of the lateral occipital cortex on the negative relationship between TGF-β1 and visual cognition ( p < 0.05)., Limitations: We did not explore the effect of other blood cytokines on neurocognitive performance and cortical thickness. Participants from the CommonMind Consortium did not all have first-episode schizophrenia and they were not all antipsychotic-naive, so we could not exclude an effect of antipsychotics on TGF-β1 signalling in the dlPFC. The sample size and cross-sectional design of our study were additional limitations., Conclusion: These findings highlighted an association between upregulated blood levels of TGF-β1 and impairments in brain structure and function in schizophrenia., Competing Interests: Competing interests: No competing interests declared., (© 2022 CMA Impact Inc. or its licensors.)

Background: LY03004, a novel investigational risperidone long-acting injection (LAI) microsphere formulation, can release risperidone more quickly after injection than Risperdal Consta®. This study aimed to investigate the effects of genetic polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics of LY03004 compared with those on Risperdal Consta®., Methods: A total of 100 Chinese patients with stable schizophrenia were randomly assigned to the LY03004 or Risperdal Consta® treatment group. Each patient received five biweekly intramuscular injections of 25 mg risperidone long-acting injection microspheres. A total of 34 blood samples before and after injections from Day 1 to Day 113 were collected from each patient, and polymorphic alleles of cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP2D6 (*4, *10, *14), CYP3A5 (*3), and ABCB1 (C1236 > T, G2677T/A, and C3435T) were analyzed using Sanger sequencing and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism., Results: The risperidone C max,ss , C min,ss , AUC 0-tau,ss , and the ratio of risperidone to 9-hydroxyrisperidone (9-OH-R) in CYP2D6 intermediate metabolizers (IMs) were significantly different compared with those in normal metabolizers (NMs) in both the LY03004 and Risperdal Consta® groups (P < 0.05). However, 9-OH-R was not significantly different between IMs and NMs (P > 0.05). The AUC 0-tau,ss of the active moiety (risperidone plus 9-OH-R) was 6.51 ± 3.34 in NMs and 7.00 ± 1.81 in IMs (P = 0.071) in the LY03004 group and 6.07 ± 2.31 and 7.95 ± 3.42 (P = 0.053) in NMs and IMs, respectively, in the Risperdal Consta® group. In the LY03004 group, the C max,ss of risperidone in carriers of the ABCB1-C3435T TT variant was significantly lower than that in CC and CT carriers (TT 7.76 ± 4.23 ng/mL, CT 11.6 ± 8.27 ng/mL, CC 14.3 ± 7.66 ng/ml; P = 0.045), but no significant differences were found in the active moiety. In the Risperdal Consta® group, C3435T TT carriers had significantly lower C min,ss of the active moiety (TT 5.09 ± 4.38 ng/mL, CT 11.4 ± 8.42 ng/mL, CC 14.3 ± 6.43 ng/mL; P = 0.007). Furthermore, C min,ss of the active moiety was significantly different among all ABCB1-G2677T/A genotypes (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The pharmacokinetics of risperidone and the ratio of risperidone to 9-OH-R were highly dependent on CYP2D6 activity. However, there was no significant effect in 9-OH-R. A future study involving a larger sample is required to verify whether CYP2D6 IMs have lower risperidone active moiety clearance than CYP2D6 NMs for LAI formulations. In addition, the risperidone active moiety was eliminated faster in ABCB1-G2677T/A and C3435T TT carriers receiving Risperdal Consta®., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pharmacogenetics study was added into 2 bioequivalence trials of aripiprazole. The correlation between CYP2D6 polymorphisms and aripiprazole pharmacokinetics (PK) was analyzed. Materials & methods: A total of 140 subjects were included. A total of 26 CYP2D6 gene alleles were detected. The plasma concentration of aripiprazole was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. SPSS Statistics 21 was used to analyze the correlation between CYP2D6 polymorphisms and aripiprazole PK parameters. Results: All of the four PK parameters were significantly influenced by CYP2D6 rs1058164 and rs28371699 . t 1/2 and area under the concentration-time curve exhibited significant difference between CYP2D6 extensive metabolizers and intermediate metabolizers. Conclusion: Aripiprazole PK was greatly influenced by CYP2D6 . Attention should be paid to the possible dose adjustment for CYP2D6 intermediate metabolizer population when the drug is used in Chinese patients.

Cognitive impairment is a core characteristic of schizophrenia, but its underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. Reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein critical for neural plasticity and synaptic signaling, is one of the few molecules consistently associated with cognitive deficits in schizophrenia although the etiological pathway leading to BDNF reduction in schizophrenia is unclear. We examined microRNA-195 (miR-195), a known modulator of BDNF protein expression, as a potential mechanistic component. One-hundred and eighteen first-episode patients with schizophrenia either antipsychotic medication-naïve or within two weeks of antipsychotic medication exposure and forty-seven age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. MiR-195 and BDNF mRNA and BDNF protein levels in peripheral blood were tested. Cognitive function was assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). MiR-195 was significantly higher (p = 0.01) whereas BDNF mRNA (p < 0.001) and protein (p = 0.016) levels were significantly lower in patients compared with controls. Higher miR-195 expression was significantly correlated to lower BDNF protein levels in patients (partial r = -0.28, p = 0.003) and lower BDNF protein levels were significantly associated with poorer overall cognitive performance by MCCB and also in speed of processing, working memory, and attention/vigilance domains composite score (p = 0.002-0.004). The subgroup of patients with high miR-195 and low BDNF protein showed the lowest level of cognitive functions, and miR-195 showed significant mediation effects on cognitive functions through BDNF protein. Elevated miR-195 may play a role in regulating BDNF protein expression thereby influencing cognitive impairments in schizophrenia, suggesting that development of cognition enhancing treatment for schizophrenia may consider a micro-RNA based strategy.

Objective: Failure of antipsychotic medications to resolve symptoms in patients with schizophrenia creates a clinical challenge that is known as treatment resistance. The causes of treatment resistance are unknown, but it is associated with earlier age at onset and more severe cognitive deficits. The authors tested the hypothesis that white matter deficits that are involved in both neurodevelopment and severity of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are associated with a higher risk of treatment resistance., Methods: The study sample (N=122; mean age, 38.2 years) included schizophrenia patients at treatment initiation (N=45), patients whose symptoms were treatment responsive (N=40), and patients whose symptoms were treatment resistant (N=37), as well as healthy control subjects (N=78; mean age, 39.2 years). White matter regional vulnerability index (RVI) was tested as a predictor of treatment resistance and cognitive deficits. Higher RVI is indicative of better agreement between diffusion tensor imaging fractional anisotropy across the brain in an individual and the pattern identified by the largest-to-date meta-analysis of white matter deficits in schizophrenia., Results: Patients with treatment-resistant symptoms showed the highest white matter RVI (mean=0.38 [SD=0.2]), which was significantly higher than the RVI among patients with treatment-responsive symptoms (mean=0.30 [SD=0.02]). At the onset of treatment, schizophrenia patients showed significantly higher RVI than healthy control subjects (mean=0.18 [SD=0.03] and mean=0.13 [SD=0.02], respectively). RVIs were significantly correlated with performance on processing speed and negative symptoms., Conclusions: Schizophrenia affects white matter microstructure in specific regional patterns. Susceptibility to white matter regional deficits is associated with an increased likelihood of treatment resistance. Developments to overcome schizophrenia treatment resistance should consider white matter as an important target.

What Is Known and Objective: The FDA has provided recommendations for aripiprazole use in CYP2D6 poor metabolizers (PMs); however, PMs make up <1% of the Asian population and no recommendation has been provided for intermediate metabolizers (IMs), who comprise a considerable proportion of the Asian population (64%-70% occurrence of CYP2D6*10). This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of aripiprazole metabolism in IMs and other phenotypes by conducting the first meta-analysis of the association among CYP2D6 phenotypes and aripiprazole pharmacokinetics (PK)., Methods: We searched four electronic databases for studies published through February 2018, investigating the association between aripiprazole and CYP2D6 gene polymorphisms. Gene polymorphism information was extracted, and CYP2D6 phenotypes were determined according to a unified classification standard. The associations between three aripiprazole PK-related outcomes and CYP2D6 phenotype were analysed. Meta-analyses were used to compare ultra-rapid metabolizers (UMs) vs extensive metabolizers (EMs), EMs vs IMs and IMs vs poor metabolizers (PMs) for each outcome. The aripiprazole serum concentration funnel plot and the Egger's and Begg's tests were used to assess publication bias., Results and Discussion: Altogether, 10 studies were included in this analysis (n = 649). Aripiprazole serum concentration differed significantly between EMs and IMs (EM vs IM pooled SMD: -0.383; 95% CI: -0.735 to -0.031, P = 0.03 < 0.05), but not between IMs and PMs (IM vs PM pooled SMD: -0.425; 95% CI: -0.933 to 0.082, P = 0.10 > 0.05). However, aripiprazole plus dehydroaripiprazole serum level did not significantly differ among EMs, IMs and PMs (EM vs IM pooled SMD: -0.285; 95% CI: -0.724 to 0.154, P = 0.20 > 0.05; IM vs PM pooled SMD: -0.302; 95%CI: -0.810 to 0.205, P = 0.24 > 0.05). Overall, aripiprazole serum level and the sum level of aripiprazole plus dehydroaripiprazole in different phenotypes followed the trend UMs < EMs < IMs < PMs, whereas dehydroaripiprazole serum level followed the trend UMs < EMs > IMs > PMs., What Is New and Conclusion: Aripiprazole serum concentration differed significantly between EMs and IMs, but not between PMs. Whether this has clinical significance requires further evaluation by randomized trials., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The effect of risperidone treatment in patients with schizophrenia varies according to the dopamine receptor genes. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between genes of the dopamine receptors (D1, D2, and D3) and the effect of risperidone treatment., Methods: Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library) were searched for relevant cohort or case-control studies published before 9 May 2018. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed for qualitative and quantitative assessment of the relationship between the dopamine receptors D1, D2, and D3 (DRD1, 2, and 3) and the effect of risperidone treatment. The summary odds ratio (OR) and weighted mean difference (WMD) in a random-effects model were used to measure these relationships., Results: Twelve studies involving 24 SNPs were included. DRD2 (Ser311Cys, rs1801028 Ser/Ser) significantly lowered the improvement rate (determined by the PANSS score) unlike Ser/Cys (WMD: -11.58, 95% CI: -17.35 to -5.18). For Asian patients, A241G (rs1799978) AA carriers showed greater improvement after risperidone therapy (P < 0.05). The polymorphisms of 141C Ins/Del (rs1799732), T939C (rs6275), rs6277, and TaqID (rs1800498) may also influence the treatment effect. TaqIA (rs1800497) and TaqIB (rs17294542) were not associated with the rate of response to risperidone. DRD3 was not associated with an improvement in the PANSS total score; however, Ser9Gly might be related to a change in negative symptoms. No significant effect of DRD1 (rs5326, rs4867798, rs4532, and rs11749676) was found., Conclusions: Our result supported the hypothesis that DRD2 affected risperidone treatment. DRD1 had no significant effect on the response to risperidone, whereas DRD3 might be associated with an improvement in negative symptoms. Larger observational studies are warranted to verify these findings and identify other genetic factors involved., (© 2018 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society).)

Insufficient or lack of response to antipsychotic medications in some patients with schizophrenia is a major challenge in psychiatry, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Two seemingly unrelated observations, cerebral white matter and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction, have been linked to treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). As NMDARs are critical to axonal myelination and signal transduction, we hypothesized that NMDAR antibody (Ab), when present in schizophrenia, may impair NMDAR functions and white matter microstructures, contributing to TRS. In this study, 50 patients with TRS, 45 patients with nontreatment-resistant schizophrenia (NTRS), 53 patients with schizophrenia at treatment initiation schizophrenia (TIS), and 90 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum NMDAR Ab levels and white matter diffusion tensor imaging fractional anisotropy (FA) were assessed. The white matter specificity effects by NMDAR Ab were assessed by comparing with effects on cortical and subcortical gray matter. Serum NMDAR Ab levels of the TRS were significantly higher than those of the NTRS (P =.035). In patients with TRS, higher NMDAR Ab levels were significantly associated with reduced whole-brain average FA (r = −.37; P =.026), with the strongest effect at the genu of corpus callosum (r = −.50; P =.0021, significant after correction for multiple comparisons). Conversely, there was no significant correlation between whole-brain or regional cortical thickness or any subcortical gray matter structural volume and NMDAR Ab levels in TRS. Our finding highlights a potential NMDAR mechanism on white matter microstructure impairment in schizophrenia that may contribute to their treatment resistance to antipsychotic medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of olanzapine for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Methods The literature was searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of olanzapine for the prophylaxis of CINV using PubMed, Embase, Central, as well as for unpublished studies. The endpoints of the study were the number of patients who achieved a complete response (CR; no emesis and no rescue) and no nausea in the acute, delayed and overall phases. Two authors independently selected studies, assessed the risk of bias and extracted data. The included RCTs were analysed using RevMan 5.3 provided by the Cochrane Collaboration. Results Ten RCTs were identified for the meta-analysis. Compared with other antiemetic agents, olanzapine significantly improved the CR in the delayed and overall phases, but did not enhance the CR in the acute phase. For the control of CINV, olanzapine was better than and comparable with aprepitant in the acute phase and delayed phase, respectively. Compared with placebo, treatment with 5 mg and 10 mg olanzapine exhibited similar efficacy in terms of the CR in the delayed and overall phases. Conclusions Olanzapine is an excellent alternative for the prophylaxis of CINV. Olanzapine 5 mg per day should be recommended as the initial dose because of equivalent efficacy to a 10 mg dose but a lower potential risk of side effects. Further studies are needed to explore the optimal combination of medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]