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A recent study suggested that patients taking antipsychotic drugs for extended periods may lose brain volume. In a new animal study of this effect, researchers controlled for any possible interactions of illness and medication. Also, because these drugs have a half-life of only 2.5 hours in rats, the investigators used continuous antipsychotic infusions to produce steady-state levels (i.e., levels would have fluctuated with intermittent dosing).
For 8 weeks (equivalent to 5 human years), male rats aged 10 weeks (equivalent to late adolescence in humans) were infused with olanzapine (equivalent to 15 mg/day in human dosing), haloperidol (human equivalent, 5–10 mg/day), or vehicle. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at baseline and…