Antipsychotics Cause Reversible Structural Brain Changes Within One Week

A placebo-controlled MRI study revealing rapid, reversible striatal volume changes induced by antipsychotics.

Publication Title: Antipsychotics cause reversible structural brain changes within one week

Authors: Pierluigi Selvaggi, Martin Osugo, Uzma Zahid, Ottavia Dipasquale, Thomas Whitehurst, Ellis Onwordi, George Chapman, Valeria Finelli, Ben Statton, Tobias C. Wood, Matthew B. Wall, Robin Murray, Mitul A. Mehta, Tiago Reis Marques & Oliver D. Howes

This double-blind, counterbalanced, placebo-controlled MRI study evaluates how one week of amisulpride or aripiprazole affects brain structure in healthy volunteers. The findings reveal significant, transient increases in striatal volume that normalize after treatment cessation. The work clarifies long-standing debates about antipsychotic-related brain changes by isolating drug effects from confounding disease factors.

Why Read this Publication:

• Demonstrates rapid, reversible MRI-detectable brain changes.
• Separates medication effects from illness pathology using healthy volunteers.
• Provides insight into striatal plasticity under dopamine modulation.
• Helps contextualize MRI findings in schizophrenia treatment studies.
• Supports safer, more informed interpretation of neuroimaging biomarkers.

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