Functional MRI (fMRI) can help predict how patients will respond to antipsychotic drug treatment, according to a study published online August 28 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
"This study is the first to report a predictive fMRI-derived measure validated in an independent study group of patients treated with antipsychotics," lead author Dr. Deepak Sarpal said in a statement.
Antipsychotic drugs are often given for psychotic episodes without guidance from lab tests or brain scans such as fMRI. This lack of knowledge places a large burden on patients, their families, and healthcare professionals, according to the group from the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, NY.
The researchers used fMRI scans obtained before treatment to predict the ultimate response to medications in patients experiencing their first episode of schizophrenia. They created an index by analyzing connectivity patterns in the striatum region of the brain, which tends to be atypical in patients with psychotic disorders.
The index significantly predicted whether psychotic symptoms would decrease among the patient cohort. In addition, the index was successful in predicting treatment outcome in a separate group of patients with more serious illness.
