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Effect of neuroleptic treatment in schizophrenia on the electroretinogram, electrooculogram, and color vision
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Letters Effect of Nedroleptic Treatment in Schizophrenia on the Electroretinogram, Electrooculogram, and Color Vision A dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase exists in retinal tissue that can be inhibited in vitro by haloperidol (Bucher and Schorderet, 1975; Scatton et al., 1977). Since schizophrenic patients receive as treatment neuroleptic drugs that inhibit dopamine neurotransmission and dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase (Snyder et al., 1974), such treatment might be expected to affect whatever retinal function involves dopaminesensitive adenylate cyclase. Although retinal pathology including a retinitis pigmentosalike syndrome has been reported after treatment with some neuroleptics, especially thioridazine, haloperidol is one of the most specific dopamine-receptor blockers of the neuroleptic drugs. Therefore, in an attempt to examine the functional effect of blocking the dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase in human retina, three schizophrenic patients were studied before and during haloperidol therapy. The three were young and physically healthy with no visual symptoms. Two were first admissions with no previous neuroleptic treatment and the third was drug-free for 1 month before testing. Preneuroleptic retinal evaluation included fundoscopy, dark adaptometry, color testing including both the Farnsworth-Munsell IOO-Hue Panel and Nagel Anomaloscopy,
both light- and dark-adapted electroretinography (ERG), electrooculography (EOG), and visual evoked response (VER) testing. The examination represented the diagnostic battery of the Retinal Laboratory of the Eye Institute of the Medical College of Wisconsin. The tests were repeated under identical conditions after 3 to 6 weeks of haloperidol, 15 mg orally per day. No changes were observed in any of the measures studied. The physiological function of the dopaminesensitive adenylate cyclase in human retina is still unknown. Dinshah Gagrat, M.D. John Maggiano, M.D. R.H. Belmaker, M.D. Medical College of Wisconsin March Milwaukee, WI 53201
26, 1979
References Bucher, M.B. and Schorderet, M. Dopamine and apomorphine-sensitive adenylate cyclase in homogenates of rabbit retina. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology, 288, 103 (1975). Scatton, B., Dedk, J.,and Korf, J. Haloperidol increases DA turnover in rat retina. Brain Research, 135, 374 (1977). Snyder, S.H., Banerjee, S.P., Yamamura, H.L., and Greenberg, D. Drugs, neurotransmitters, and schizophrenia. Science, 284, 1243 (1974).
Book Reviews Biologische Rhylhmen: Einfluesse auf individuelle Aktionen undReaktionen[Biological Rhythms: Their Influence on Individual Actions and Reactions] 12. Deidesheimer Gesprach 22.123. April 1978. Armeimittel-Forschung / Drug Research, 28, I809 (1978). Rhyfhmusprobleme in der Psychiatric [Rhythm Problems in Psychiatry] H. Heimann and B. Pflug, eds. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart/New York (1978). These two recent monographs present a collection of articles on biological rhythms in
a general theoretical context as well as in relation to psychiatry. They deserve a wide readership despite the language barrier, because of the concise delineation of the present state of research in biological rhythms and their clinical relevance. The study of circadian rhythms has a long tradition in German-speaking countries, ranging from the Tubinger school of botany founded by E. Bunning (who first explicitly formulated the concept of an endogenous .circadian pacemaker) to J. Aschoffs group who studied the characteristics of human circadian rhythms. In this review, only the
Letters Effect of Nedroleptic Treatment in Schizophrenia on the Electroretinogram, Electrooculogram, and Color Vision A dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase exists in retinal tissue that can be inhibited in vitro by haloperidol (Bucher and Schorderet, 1975; Scatton et al., 1977). Since schizophrenic patients receive as treatment neuroleptic drugs that inhibit dopamine neurotransmission and dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase (Snyder et al., 1974), such treatment might be expected to affect whatever retinal function involves dopaminesensitive adenylate cyclase. Although retinal pathology including a retinitis pigmentosalike syndrome has been reported after treatment with some neuroleptics, especially thioridazine, haloperidol is one of the most specific dopamine-receptor blockers of the neuroleptic drugs. Therefore, in an attempt to examine the functional effect of blocking the dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase in human retina, three schizophrenic patients were studied before and during haloperidol therapy. The three were young and physically healthy with no visual symptoms. Two were first admissions with no previous neuroleptic treatment and the third was drug-free for 1 month before testing. Preneuroleptic retinal evaluation included fundoscopy, dark adaptometry, color testing including both the Farnsworth-Munsell IOO-Hue Panel and Nagel Anomaloscopy,
both light- and dark-adapted electroretinography (ERG), electrooculography (EOG), and visual evoked response (VER) testing. The examination represented the diagnostic battery of the Retinal Laboratory of the Eye Institute of the Medical College of Wisconsin. The tests were repeated under identical conditions after 3 to 6 weeks of haloperidol, 15 mg orally per day. No changes were observed in any of the measures studied. The physiological function of the dopaminesensitive adenylate cyclase in human retina is still unknown. Dinshah Gagrat, M.D. John Maggiano, M.D. R.H. Belmaker, M.D. Medical College of Wisconsin March Milwaukee, WI 53201
26, 1979
References Bucher, M.B. and Schorderet, M. Dopamine and apomorphine-sensitive adenylate cyclase in homogenates of rabbit retina. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology, 288, 103 (1975). Scatton, B., Dedk, J.,and Korf, J. Haloperidol increases DA turnover in rat retina. Brain Research, 135, 374 (1977). Snyder, S.H., Banerjee, S.P., Yamamura, H.L., and Greenberg, D. Drugs, neurotransmitters, and schizophrenia. Science, 284, 1243 (1974).
Book Reviews Biologische Rhylhmen: Einfluesse auf individuelle Aktionen undReaktionen[Biological Rhythms: Their Influence on Individual Actions and Reactions] 12. Deidesheimer Gesprach 22.123. April 1978. Armeimittel-Forschung / Drug Research, 28, I809 (1978). Rhyfhmusprobleme in der Psychiatric [Rhythm Problems in Psychiatry] H. Heimann and B. Pflug, eds. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart/New York (1978). These two recent monographs present a collection of articles on biological rhythms in
a general theoretical context as well as in relation to psychiatry. They deserve a wide readership despite the language barrier, because of the concise delineation of the present state of research in biological rhythms and their clinical relevance. The study of circadian rhythms has a long tradition in German-speaking countries, ranging from the Tubinger school of botany founded by E. Bunning (who first explicitly formulated the concept of an endogenous .circadian pacemaker) to J. Aschoffs group who studied the characteristics of human circadian rhythms. In this review, only the