Project Summary

Pierre J. Blanchet, M.D., Ph.D., (Independent Investigator 2006) of the University of Montreal, plans to test if docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may limit tardive dyskinesia (TD), the involuntary movements patients taking antipsychotic drugs (APDs) often experience within months or years of taking the medications. The annual incidence of TD in people treated with the first-generation ("conventional") APDs is 5 percent, but in older individuals is 5-fold greater. Second-generation ("atypical") APDs have reduced short-term TD risk, but the annual incidence of TD in older individuals taking these drugs remains comparable to that of younger adults treated with conventional drugs. With an aging population and the growing use of atypical APDs, TD is expected to remain a common complication. Unfortunately, once triggered, TD is often irreversible and untreatable. Thus, TD is a great challenge in mental health research. Research has shown that high doses of essential fatty acids (EFA)—which are components of brain cells and can modulate several brain receptors—may boost the ability of neurons’ to counteract the negative effects of APDs. A recent study has shown a 50 percent reduction in TD-like movements in mice treated with DHA, an EFA. In the proposed project, Dr. Blanchet will perform a small randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled to determine if DHA will help patients with schizophrenia who display TD. If DHA works against TD, the quality of life for thousands of patients under long-term APD treatment could be improved.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS

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