Lower levels of whole blood serotonin in obsessive-compulsive disorder and in schizophrenia with obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Abstract

It has been reported that some schizophrenic patients suffer from obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS), and clozapine treatment is quite often associated with an occurrence/increase of OCS in schizophrenic patients. The aim of the study was to explore whether differences would exist in the clinical symptomatology and the whole blood serotonin (5-HT) concentrations in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenic patients with and without OCS (S+OCS, S-OCS), and clozapine-treated schizophrenic patients with and without clozapine-induced OCS (CLZ+OCS, CLZ-OCS). We found that S+OCS patients (n=15) showed significantly lower scores on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), but similar levels of compulsions and obsessions using Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) as compared to the patients (n=35) with OCD. S+OCS patients scored significantly lower on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) but higher on the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) compared with S-OCS patients (n=19). However, CLZ+OCS patients (n=15) suffered from dominant compulsions but fewer obsessions compared with the OCD and S+OCS patients. OCD, S+OCS and CLZ+OCS groups had significantly lower levels of whole blood 5-HT than did the healthy volunteers (n=15), S-OCS and CLZ-OCS groups. It suggests that alterations in serotonin metabolism may be a common biological characteristic of OCS in OCD as well as in schizophrenia.

• Authors: Ning Ma, Li-wen Tan, Qiang Wang, Ze-xuan Li, Ling-jiang Li
• Journal: Psychiatry research (Psychiatry Res) Vol. 150 Issue 1 Pg. 61-9 (Feb 28 2007) ISSN: 0165-1781 [Print] Ireland
• PMID: 17291595 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antipsychotic Agents
• Serotonin
• Clozapine

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Antipsychotic Agents (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Clozapine (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Comorbidity
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (blood, chemically induced, diagnosis, psychology)
• Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
• Schizophrenia (blood, diagnosis, drug therapy)
• Schizophrenic Psychology
• Serotonin (blood)
• Statistics as Topic