Serum levels of neuropeptide Y in patients with chronic schizophrenia during treatment augmentation with sarcosine (results of the double-blind randomized controlled PULSAR study)

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Neuropeptide Y.

In order to extend research in the area, the researchers assessed serum levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY), a hypothalamic hormone related to anxiety and depression, also involved in mechanisms inducing weight gain.

Additionally, the researchers analyzed associations between NPY concentrations and its changes with severity of symptoms and metabolic parameters.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 57 subjects were involved.

A prospective 6-month, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial was completed by 57 subjects with chronic schizophrenia with predominant negative symptoms and stable antipsychotic treatment.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled.

The subjects were allocated by chance, so the Neuropeptide Y group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Neither the subjects nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Neuropeptide Y, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

Some subjects received a placebo instead of Neuropeptide Y, giving a reference point.

The methods mention a period of 6 weeks.

The researchers assessed serum NPY concentrations and severity of symptoms (with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS] and Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia) at the beginning of the study, after 6 weeks and 6 months.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Antipsychotic Agents, DEAE-Dextran, Neuropeptide Y, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Sarcosine and Schizophrenia.

The authors tagged it with the keywords NMDA receptor and depression.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Neuropeptide Y in 57 subjects over 6 weeks.

Its findings take up roughly 5 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2021 (Human psychopharmacology), a journal based in England.

More context: the Neuropeptide Y compound page, all human trials.