The Involvement of the Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal, Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and Somatotrophic Axes in the Development and Treatment of Schizophrenia
Journal Title: International Neuropsychiatric Disease Journal - Year 2014, Vol 2, Issue 2
Abstract
In the present review, organizational and activational hormonal effects are proposed to be dysfunctional in schizophrenia and psychosis. Specifically, organizational effects are held responsible for the long-lasting anatomical and functional changes in brain development associated with the disease. Later in life, activational effects may be superimposed and may interact with the earlier induced biological vulnerabilities, eventually triggering the first psychotic episode in schizophrenia. In parallel, it is known that schizophrenia follows a different course in male and female patients and that the first psychotic episode frequently occurs shortly before or during puberty. The different course of schizophrenia in male and female patients seems to be related to digressions in hormonal secretion between the genders. Further the excessive change of hormonal secretion during puberty suggests a relationship between hormonal secretion and the development of schizophrenia, possibly mediated by epigenetic regulation of neuroendocrine systems. We discuss the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG), the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) and the Somatotropic axes and further present evidence for positive treatment effects in schizophrenia by hormonal agents. We conclude that organizational as well as activational effects of hormones may attribute to the development of schizophrenia. Research on hormonal factors in schizophrenia might therefore enhance the general understanding of the disease in regard to its neurobiology and treatment options.
Authors and Affiliations
J. B. Deijen, T. Gleich, M. L. Drent
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP241448
- DOI 10.9734/INDJ/2014/6842
- Views 72
- Downloads 0
Dextromethorphan for Tardive Dyskinesia
Aims: To report three cases of successful treatment of tardive dyskinesia (TD) with dextromethorphan. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Place and Duration of Study: Private outpatient practice in Syracuse, NY....
Acute Psychosis in an 18 Year Old Patient with Heart Failure and Suspected Renal Disease: A Case Report
Psychiatric disorders frequently coexist with medical illnesses. Most literature report on the occurrence of medical illnesses among patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders. In this article we report the develop...
Cotard’s Syndrome: Clinical Case Presentation and Literature Review
In 1880 French neurologist Jules Cotard described a condition characterized by delusion of negation (nihilistic delusion) in a melancholia context. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in Cotard’s syndrome....
Pathways to Psychiatric Care among Patients with Schizophrenia in Uyo, Nigeria
Background: The pathways patients navigate to access mental health care have been reported to be responsible for the delay in commencing effective treatment following onset of schizophrenia. Objective: This study was con...
Association of Corpus Callosum Agenesis with Mental Retardation and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Aims: Anomalies of the corpus callosum have been associated with varied brain and somatic malformations. It has been associated with diverse genetic causes with identifiable syndromes. We aim to report a case of corpus c...