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5 - Biological Changes in Older People with Schizophrenia

from Section 2 - Biological, Neurocognitive, and Medical Aspects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2019

By
Michael B. Centorino  and
Susan K. Schultz
Edited by
Carl I. Cohen  and
Paul D. Meesters
Carl I. Cohen
Affiliation:
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Paul D. Meesters
Affiliation:
Friesland Mental Health Services
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Summary

Age-related biological changes in schizophrenia are of great interest as a growing number of individuals with chronic mental illness are now reaching the age where medical comorbidities and neurodegenerative changes become more likely. Dramatic changes have occurred in the range and types of antipsychotic medications available, which has resulted in some benefits for older persons with schizophrenia as well as some new challenges in chronic treatment. This chapter will review findings from neuroimaging studies that have examined brain morphology, as well as functional imaging changes with age in persons with schizophrenia. It will also discuss advances in the understanding of the genetics of cognitive aging in schizophrenia and related biomarkers. The biologic effects of long-term use of antipsychotic medications in terms of dopamine reception function and movement disorders, as well as the effect on the development of the metabolic syndrome with age will be discussed.
Type
Chapter
Information
Schizophrenia and Psychoses in Later Life
New Perspectives on Treatment, Research, and Policy
 , pp. 55 - 68
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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