Research has revealed that haloperidol, an
anti-psychotic drug has, within two hours of intake, the temporary
effect of reducing a part in the brain which has an impact on movement
and coordination.
However, it causes side effects such as shaking, drooling and restless
leg syndrome.
In the experiment healthy volunteers experienced impaired motor
abilities that coincided with diminished grey-matter volume in the
striatum1 - a brain region that mediates movement.
Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, professor of psychiatry and
psychotherapy
at the University of Heidelberg in Mannheim, Germany, and lead author
of the study, said: "This is the fastest change in brain volume ever
seen. Studies have found that the volume of brain regions changes over a
number of days, but this is in one to two hours, and in half that time
it bounces back."
Haloperidol, like most antipsychotics, blocks the D2 receptor, which is
sensitive to dopamine. The drug stifles the elevated
dopamine
activity that is thought to underlie psychosis. D2 receptors are
abundant in the striatum, where their activity regulates gene
expression. But, until now, no one knew that blocking the receptors
would rapidly alter the brain's physical structure.
"We've seen changes in the brain before, but to see significant
remodelling of the striatum within a couple of hours is staggering,"
said Clare Parish at the Howard Florey Institute for brain research in
Melbourne, Australia.
She added: "Our viewpoint was that only chemical changes would happen in
such a short time."
The study has been published on the report in Nature Neuroscience.
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