Alterations Of Neurometabolism In The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex And Thalamus In Transition To Psychosis Patients Change Under Treatment As Usual - A Two Years Follow-Up H-1/P-31-Mr-Spectroscopy Study

Background: The ultra-high risk (UHR) paradigm allows early contact with patients developing acute psychosis and the study of treatment effects on the underlying pathology.Methods: 29 patients with first acute psychosis according to CAARMS criteria (transition patients, TP) (T0) and thereof 22 patients after two-year follow-up (mean 788 d) (T1) underwent H-1-/P-31-MR spectroscopy of the prefrontal (DLPFC) and anterior midcingulate (aMCC) cortices and the thalamus. N-acetylaspartate (NAA), glutamate (Glu, Glx), energy (PCr, ATP) and phospholipid metabolites (PME, PDE) were compared to 27 healthy controls by ANCOVA and correlated with patients' symptom ratings (BPRS-E, SCL-90R). For longitudinal analysis, linear mixed model (LMM) and ANCOVA for repeated measures were used.Results: DLPFC: In patients, NAA and PME were decreased bilaterally and Glu on the left side at T0. Left-sided Glu and NAA (trend) and bilateral Glx increased during follow-up. Thalamus: In TP, bilateral NAA, left-sided Glu and right-sided Glx were decreased at T0; bilateral NAA and left-sided Glx increased during follow-up. aMCC: In TP, bilateral NAA, right-sided Glu, and bilateral PME and PDE were decreased, while left-sided PCr was increased at T0. No changes were observed during follow-up.Conclusion: Regardless of the long-term diagnosis, the psychotic state of illness includes disturbed neuronal function in the DLPFC, thalamus and aMCC. Treatment-as-usual (TAU), including antipsychotic/antidepressant medication and supportive psychotherapy, had an effect on the thalamo-frontal area but not or less pronounced on the neurometabolic deficits of the aMCC. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.