Antipsychotic Drugs and Brain Shrinkage

Bill Walsh, Ph.D.

In recent years, several published studies have suggested that atypical antipsychotic medications result in reduced brain volumes, especially in the cortex. This concern greatly increased with the release of a University of Iowa study in the February, 2011 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry1. The Iowa researchers present strong evidence that the atypical antipsychotics result in loss of cortex volume that is proportional to dosage and treatment duration. This finding has produced something of a bombshell in the psychiatry and pharmaceutical communities. An editorial in the same issue of Archives of General Psychiatry recommended that atypicals be used sparingly in treatment of mental illness, and suggested that alternative methods of treating psychosis may become necessary. Within a short time, the world’s psychiatrists may have strong motivation to limit the use of Clozapine, Zyprexa, Risperdal, Geodon, and the other atypicals that have become the mainstay of schizophrenia treatment. 

Off-label use of these medications for bipolar disorder, depression, autism, and other illnesses has become widespread in mainstream medicine, and could be banned in the near future. In my opinion, immediate action must be taken to stop the use of Risperdal in treatment of young autistic children whose brains are still undergoing active development.

Advanced nutrient therapy together with an atypical usually brings reports of improved functioning, major reductions in medication dosage, and lessened side effects. The brain shrinkage problem may provide a window of opportunity to interest mainstream medicine in this treatment approach.

1.Ho BC, Andersen NC, Ziebell S, Pierson R, Magnotta V (2011). Long-term antipsychotic treatment and brain volumes: A longitudinal study of first-episode schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psych, 68:2.