Normal pituitary volumes in chronic schizophrenia

Tournikioti, Kalliopi; Tansella, Michele; Perlini, Cinzia; Rambaldelli, Gianluca; Cerini, Roberto; Versace, Amelia; Andreone, Nicola; Dusi, Nicola; Balestrieri, Matteo; Malagò, Roberto; Gasparini, Anna; Brambilla, Paolo

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2006.04.004

« Previous Next »Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Volume 154, Issue 1 , Pages 41-48, 15 January 2007

Normal pituitary volumes in chronic schizophrenia

Kalliopi Tournikioti
- Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Michele Tansella
- Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Verona-Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Program, InterUniversity Center for Behavioral Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Cinzia Perlini
- Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Verona-Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Program, InterUniversity Center for Behavioral Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Gianluca Rambaldelli
- Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Verona-Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Program, InterUniversity Center for Behavioral Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Roberto Cerini
- Department of Morphological and Biomedical Sciences, Section of Radiology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Amelia Versace
- Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Verona-Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Program, InterUniversity Center for Behavioral Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Nicola Andreone
- Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Verona-Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Program, InterUniversity Center for Behavioral Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Nicola Dusi
- Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Verona-Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Program, InterUniversity Center for Behavioral Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Matteo Balestrieri
- Verona-Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Program, InterUniversity Center for Behavioral Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
- Department of Pathology and Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
Roberto Malagò
- Department of Morphological and Biomedical Sciences, Section of Radiology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Anna Gasparini
- Department of Morphological and Biomedical Sciences, Section of Radiology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Paolo Brambilla
- Verona-Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Program, InterUniversity Center for Behavioral Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
- Department of Pathology and Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
- Corresponding author. Dipartimento di Patologia e Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Cattedra di Psichiatria, Policlinico Universitario, Via Colugna 50, 33100 Udine, Italy. Tel.: +39 0432 55.9494; fax: +39 0432 54.5526.

Received 2 February 2006; received in revised form 30 March 2006; accepted 2 April 2006.

Abstract

Pituitary volumes were shown to be abnormally large in pre- or first-psychotic episode patients and abnormally reduced in established schizophrenia by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. We present here the results of the second ever published MRI study exploring pituitary size in a large population of patients with chronic schizophrenia recruited from the geographically defined catchment area of South Verona, Italy. No significant differences for pituitary volumes were reported between 65 subjects with chronic schizophrenia and 65 normal individuals (mean age±S.D.=42.31±11.44 and 40.54±11.12 years). In contrast to Pariante et al. (2004), normal pituitary size was found in our population of chronic schizophrenia. Discrepancies between these two studies may partially be accounted by sample age and gender. Considering increased pituitary volumes in pre- or first-psychotic episode patients, we put forward the hypothesis that pituitary size may normalize or reduce with the progression of the illness as a result of reduced numbers of acute episodes and consequent diminished hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis activity. To better test this hypothesis, future large MRI studies should investigate pituitary volumes in chronic schizophrenia longitudinally, also collecting pituitary hormones and cortisol, and comparing the effects of typical and atypical antipsychotics on pituitary size in a randomized trial.