This month in archives of general psychiatry.

Abstract

I n a double-blind, 104-week study, Lieberman et al (page 361) examined brain volume changes in patients with first-episode psychosis treated with olanzapine and haloperidol. These changes were then analyzed for any association between changes in psychopathology and neurocognition. Patients exhibited a significant between-treatment difference in brain volume changes. Haloperidol was associated with significant reductions in gray matter volume, whereas olanzapine was not. Post hoc analyses suggested that antipsychotic treatment effects on brain volume and the behavioral pathology of the illness may be associated.