Schizophrenia/Schizoaffective: Metabolic Antecedents of Insulin Resistance in Schizophrenia Patients Receiving Atypical Antipsychotic Medications

Contact name: Nicole Appel

Phone: (412)-246-6990

Fax: (412)-246-6980

Email: appelnr@upmc.edu

Disorder: Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder

Geographic location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Other keywords:

Participant compensation: $105 (patients); $50 (controls)

Time commitment required: 6 visits, 1 hour each (patients); 1 visit, 1 hour (controls)

Drug trial: No

Recruitment end date (approximate): 2/2006

Study criteria (i.e., age or gender requirements):
Patients: Diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
Male and female subjects, ages 18 to 55 inclusive.
Ability to provide informed consent.
Patients newly started on only one of the following medications: Abilify (aripiprazole), Geodon (ziprasidone), Zyprexa (olanzapine), Clozaril (clozapine).
Controls: BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 or BMI less than 25 kg/m2.

Exclusion criteria:
Current treatment with more than one antipsychotic medication.
Current diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (a fasting blood glucose of greater than 126mg/dL).
Current treatment with beta blockers.
DSMIV-TR diagnosis of alcohol or illicit drug abuse or dependence within the last 3 months.
Current steroidal treatment.

Brief description of study:
Since weight gain is such a common side effect of some atypical antipsychotic medications, patients with schizophrenia are at high risk of developing other related medical problems such as diabetes. This study is investigating whether a precursor to diabetes can be identified, which can facilitate in early detection and possibly prevention in this population.

Additional information: