Project Summary

Anil K. Malhotra, M.D. (Independent Investigator 2001) of Hillside Hospital, will seek to identify specific forms of genes that may be associated with weight-gain associated with antipsychotic drug treatment in children and adolescent patients with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-related disorders.  This weight gain can lead to serious health problems and can cause young patients to stop medications and relapse with an exacerbation of psychotic symptoms.  Early identification of patients at high risk for antipsychotic-induced weight gain is critical, and prevention and treatment of weight gain is especially beneficial with adolescents.  Dr. Malhotra will investigate gene pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) due to prior work which demonstrates its association with increases in proteins related to weight gain.  He will test if a variation in the POMC gene is related to weight gain induced by Olanzapine, a new antipsychotic drug.  This will be the larges genetic study of anti-psychotic weight gain and it is hoped it will lead to new methods of identifying children and adolescents at increased risk for anti-psychotic induced weight gain, as well as further prevention and treatment. 

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS

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