Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2022 Mar 30:pyac023. doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyac023. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Around 3% of the population suffers a first episode of psychosis (FEP) and a high percentage of these patients subsequently relapse. As the clinical course following a FEP is hard to predict, it is of interest to identify cognitive and biological markers that will help improve the diagnosis, treatment and outcome of such events, and to define new therapeutic targets. Here we analyzed the plasma oxytocin and prolactin levels during a FEP, assessing their correlation with clinical and cognitive features.
METHODS: The oxytocin and prolactin in plasma was measured in 120 FEP patients and 106 healthy controls, all of whom were subjected to a clinical and neuropsychological assessment. Most patients were under antipsychotics. Statistical analyses aimed to identify factors associated with the FEP and to search for associations between the variables.
RESULTS: FEP patients had less oxytocin, more prolactin, a poor premorbid-IQ and they performed worse in sustained attention. Male patients with higher prolactin levels experienced more severe psychotic symptoms and required higher doses of antipsychotics. Low oxytocin was associated with poor sustained attention in women, whereas low oxytocin and high prolactin in men correlated with better performance in sustained attention.
CONCLUSION: Low oxytocin, high prolactin, and poor premorbid-IQ and sustained attention are factors associated with a FEP, representing potential therapeutic targets in these patients. These biological factors and cognitive domains might play an important role during a FEP, which could help us to develop new strategies that improve the outcomes of this disorder and that should perhaps be gender specific.
PMID:35353882 | DOI:10.1093/ijnp/pyac023
