Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (Mar 2018)
Serum levels of β-hydroxybutyrate and pyruvate, metabolic changes and cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia during antipsychotic treatment: a preliminary study
Abstract
Yu-Chi Huang,1–3 Pao-Yen Lin,1,4 Yu Lee,1 Chi-Fa Hung,1 Su-Ting Hsu,5 Chih-Ching Wu,6,7,* Liang-Jen Wang8,* 1Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 2Department of Nursing, Meiho University, Pingtung, Taiwan; 3Chung Shan Medical University School of Medicine, Taichung, Taiwan; 4Institute for Translational Research in Biomedical Sciences, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 5Department of Community Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Municipal Kai-Syuan Psychiatric Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 6Molecular Medicine Research Center, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan; 7Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan; 8Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: β-hydroxybutyrate (β-HB) and pyruvate have been associated with the brain energy utilization, which may play a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. In this prospective study, we aim to investigate the trends of β-HB and pyruvate levels, metabolic changes, and cognitive function in schizophrenia patients receiving antipsychotic treatment.Objective: We recruited 38 schizophrenia patients who had been treated with antipsychotics for 12 weeks, as well as 38 healthy age- and gender-matched subjects. Blood samples were taken from the patients at baseline and week 12 to determine the serum levels of β-HB, pyruvate, and metabolic parameters, while blood samples of the healthy controls were taken at baseline. We evaluated the psychopathology using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and cognitive function using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia.Results: During the 12-week follow-up period, the β-HB levels in patients with schizophrenia showed a decreasing trend, particularly in those undergoing treatment with aripiprazole or ziprasidone. The serum levels of β-HB in patients at baseline and week 12 were both higher than the levels in the healthy controls. Among the schizophrenia patients, changes in β-HB were positively correlated with changes in executive function. On the other hand, serum pyruvate levels remained steady during the 12-week follow-up period, and we found no significant correlation between pyruvate changes and changes in cognitive function or clinical symptoms.Conclusion: Our findings indicate that β-HB may possess a potential indicator of energy utilization and have a protective role in executive function in patients with schizophrenia. Additional longitudinal studies with a larger sample size and longer follow-up periods are necessary to identify the relationship of metabolite regulation and cognitive function during schizophrenia patients’ exposure to antipsychotics. Keywords: ketone body, energy, metabolism, executive function, cognition, antipsychotic, schizophrenia
