A typical antipsychotic treatment induced gradually expanding white matter alterations in healthy individuals with persistent auditory verbal hallucinations—an artificially controlled pilot study

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study subjects.

Characteristic	Final cohort of Hi-AVHs* N = 39	Dramatic relief of AVHs N = 52	Slight relief of AVHs N = 27
Mean age, years	25.5 ± 2.8	24.0 ± 1.5	25.0 ± 1.0
Gender, no. males: no. females	14:25	22:30	17:10
Education, years	10.3 ± 2.81	12.5 ± 2.0	11.0 ± 2.5
AVH duration, months	129.0 ± 46.3	130.5 ± 45.0	126.5 ± 11.5
AaP dosage, mg/d chlorpromazine equivalent	270.8 ± 55.5	280.5 ± 60.0	260.0 ± 40.5
AHRS
Scores at baseline	20.5 ± 2.5.	21.0 ± 3.5	20.0 ± 2.0
Scores at 6 months	6.5 ± 2.5	7.0 ± 3.0	14.5 ± 4.5
Score reduction from baseline to 6 months	68.3%	66.7%	27.5%
Scores at 8 months	6.5 ± 1.0	7.0 ± 2.5	15.0 ± 4.0
Scores at 6 months vs. at 8 months	t = 0.117	p = 0.789
WCST
Error responses at baseline	47.0 ± 15.0	47.5 ± 13.5	46.5 ± 16.0
Error responses at 6 months	46.5 ± 13.5	47.0 ± 15.5	46.0 ± 14.0
Error responses at 8 months	47.5 ± 18.5	47.0 ± 18.0	47.0 ± 17.0
Repeated measures analysis of variance^#	p = 0.885	p = 0.980	p = 0.765

* Final cohort were retained participants (N = 79, after exclusion of dropouts) with TBSS-qualified MRI scans at the baseline and 8-month AaP treatment time point.

^# WCST results are represented as numbers of error responses, which were similar across the three time points.

Figure 1. WM changes from baseline to the 6-month AaP treatment time point. Green pseudocolor represents normal WM and blue pseudocolor represents sites of WM impairment.

Figure 2. WM changes from baseline to the 8-month AaP treatment time point. Green pseudocolor represents normal WM and blue pseudocolor represents sites of WM impairment.

Figure 3. WM structural differences from the 6- to the 8-month AaP treatment time point. Green pseudocolor represents normal WM and blue pseudocolor represents sites of WM impairment.