Abstract
Rationale
Both psychotropic drugs and mental disorders have typical signatures in quantitative electroencephalography (EEG). Previous studies found that some psychotropic drugs had EEG effects opposite to the EEG effects of the mental disorders treated with these drugs (key–lock principle).
Objectives
We performed a placebo-controlled pharmaco-EEG study on two conventional antipsychotics (chlorpromazine and haloperidol) and four atypical antipsychotics (olanzapine, perospirone, quetiapine, and risperidone) in healthy volunteers. We investigated differences between conventional and atypical drug effects and whether the drug effects were compatible with the key–lock principle.
Methods
Fourteen subjects underwent seven EEG recording sessions, one for each drug (dosage equivalent of 1 mg haloperidol). In a time-domain analysis, we quantified the EEG by identifying clusters of transiently stable EEG topographies (microstates). Frequency-domain analysis used absolute power across electrodes and the location of the center of gravity (centroid) of the spatial distribution of power in different frequency bands.
Results
Perospirone increased duration of a microstate class typically shortened in schizophrenics. Haloperidol increased mean microstate duration of all classes, increased alpha 1 and beta 1 power, and tended to shift the beta 1 centroid posterior. Quetiapine decreased alpha 1 power and shifted the centroid anterior in both alpha bands. Olanzapine shifted the centroid anterior in alpha 2 and beta 1.
Conclusions
The increased microstate duration under perospirone and haloperidol was opposite to effects previously reported in schizophrenic patients, suggesting a key–lock mechanism. The opposite centroid changes induced by olanzapine and quetiapine compared to haloperidol might characterize the difference between conventional and atypical antipsychotics.
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Acknowledgment
The authors would like to acknowledge the pharmacists of the Kansai Medical University Hospital’s Pharmacy for the preparation of the test drugs and the colleagues of Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kansai Medical University for their help with the EEG recordings. This study complied with the current Japanese Pharmaceutical Affairs Laws. This study was supported by grants from the Mitsubishi Pharma Research Foundation.
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Yoshimura, M., Koenig, T., Irisawa, S. et al. A pharmaco-EEG study on antipsychotic drugs in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology 191, 995–1004 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0737-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0737-8