Prolactin and Psychopathology in Schizophrenia: A Literature Review and Reappraisal

Secretion of the anterior pituitary hormone prolactin can be significantly increased by antipsychotic drugs, leading to a range of adverse effects in patients with schizophrenia. However, there is evidence from a variety of studies that prolactin may also be related to symptom profile and treatment...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Schizophrenia Research and Treatment 2014-01, Vol.2014 (2014), p.3-14
Main Author: Rajkumar, Ravi Philip
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Dopamine
Erectile dysfunction
Gender
Literature reviews
Patients
Physiological aspects
Plasma
Psychological aspects
Psychopathology
Psychosis
Psychotropic drugs
Review
Schizophrenia
Studies
Womens health
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Summary:Secretion of the anterior pituitary hormone prolactin can be significantly increased by antipsychotic drugs, leading to a range of adverse effects in patients with schizophrenia. However, there is evidence from a variety of studies that prolactin may also be related to symptom profile and treatment response in these patients, and recent work has identified variations in prolactin secretion even in drug-free patients. In this paper, a selective review of all relevant studies pertaining to prolactin and schizophrenia, including challenge and provocation studies, is presented. The implications of this work are discussed critically. A tentative model, which synthesizes these findings and argues for a significant role for prolactin in the development of schizophrenia, is outlined.
ISSN:2090-2085
2090-2093
DOI:10.1155/2014/175360