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Christoph U Correll

Publications and source records attributed to Christoph U Correll.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

The schizophrenia prodrome revisited: a neurodevelopmental perspective.

Despite the widespread acceptance of the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia, its application to research concerned with the prodromal phase of illness is limited. Little recognition has been given to the concept of an enduring biological vulnerability to illness that may be responsive to early intervention. Rather, the focus of most prodromal studies is on emerging positive symptoms. The Recognition and Prevention (RAP) program follows the strategy of being equally concerned with the nonspecific symptoms reflecting the core of schizophrenia and those directly related to psychosis. Data were collected from 62 adolescents (mean age = 16.4 years) during the initial 3-year pilot phase of the RAP program (1998-2001). Subjects were divided into three clinical high-risk groups, characterized by (1) negative and nonspecific symptoms (e.g., social isolation, school failures), the earliest prodrome stage; (2) emerging attenuated positive symptoms of moderate intensity; and (3) severe attenuated (but subpsychotic) positive symptoms, considered most proximal to psychosis. Four risk factors, derived from the neurodevelopmental literature, were selected to reflect the vulnerability core: cognitive deficits, affective disturbances, social isolation, and school failure. All four domains were equally impaired across the three risk groups, supporting the presence of the underlying vulnerability core regardless of the magnitude of emerging positive symptoms. An observational pilot study was also conducted to identify the medications typically used to treat emerging positive symptoms. Antidepressants were used as frequently as antipsychotics to treat adolescents presenting with moderate attenuated positive symptoms. Regardless of type of medication, moderately symptomatic youngsters did quite well over the approximately 1-year followup period. By contrast, adolescents presenting with more severe (but nonpsychotic) attenuated symptoms were treated with antipsychotics, often in combination with other agents. Outcome for the more symptomatic youngsters was, however, more guarded, with nearly half (i.e., 47%) of the group converting to a schizophrenia spectrum psychotic disorder. Nonadherence to medication appeared to be a major risk factor in this group. We conclude that a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia is supported by our data and that a range of novel treatment strategies may be neuroprotective by directly affecting the disorder's vulnerability core.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

The assessment of "prodromal schizophrenia": unresolved issues and future directions.

Because of the novelty of research with clinical high risk ("prodromal") patients, many unresolved issues exist concerning how the prodromal state is defined and measured. Data are presented from the Recognition and Prevention (RAP) program at the Zucker Hillside Hospital to address several outstanding questions. Baseline attenuated positive symptoms were rated in 42 putatively prodromal patients in the RAP program using the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms (SOPS). Followup data of 6 months or more were available on 34 of these subjects; 9 of these (26.5%) developed psychotic disorders. Patients who developed psychosis had significantly higher SOPS positive symptom scores at baseline than those who did not. Various thresholds, using both total SOPS positive symptom scores and highest single item score, significantly predicted transition to psychosis, which calls into question appropriate cutoffs for the distinction between health, prodromal status, and psychosis. The SOPS positive symptom "conceptual disorganization" was found to be significantly related to disorganized behavior but not to other positive symptoms or to psychotic outcome, suggesting the importance of examining dimensions of psychopathology. The dimensional quantification of prodromal symptom severity may be an important direction for future studies of the assessment of at-risk states.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Treatment models and designs for intervention research during the psychotic prodrome.

Recently, interventions for the psychotic prodrome have gained considerable interest. The goal of early interventions for prepsychotic, but symptomatic, individuals is to reduce disability and impairment by ameliorating subpsychotic symptoms and, potentially, preventing the progression into a full-blown psychotic disorder. However, several central questions regarding early interventions for the psychotic prodrome require clarification: Is it possible to prevent or to delay the onset of a psychotic disorder by intervening in the prodromal state? Is it possible to alter the natural course of the illness; i.e., to reduce subsequent symptom severity, relapse rates, treatment refractoriness, and/or functional disability, by treating subsyndromal symptoms? What is the relationship between treatment response of prodromal symptoms or specific symptom clusters and the prevention of disease progression or improvement of functional outcome? In the context of these questions, different treatment models and trial designs are presented, focusing on patient selection, target symptoms, interventions, control conditions, outcome measures, trial duration, and exit strategies, as well as statistical and ethical considerations. Finally, the methodology of completed and ongoing intervention trials in putative prodromal populations is discussed.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2003

Early prediction of antipsychotic response in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to examine the predictive value of early symptom changes indicating response to antipsychotic medication in schizophrenia. METHOD: One hundred thirty-one acutely ill patients with schizophrenia received 4 weeks of fluphenazine treatment. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) ratings were obtained at baseline and weekly. The authors examined the relationship between changes in BPRS total score and each factor score following 1 week of treatment and ultimate response status, defined as a reduction of 20% or more in total BPRS score. RESULTS: None of the patients who [corrected] displayed an improvement of less than 20% in total [corrected] BPRS score and only 5% [corrected] of the [corrected] patients who displayed a reduction of less than 20% in BPRS thought disturbance [corrected] score after 4 weeks of treatment had been classified as responders at 1 week (i.e., 100% and 95% specificity) [corrected] CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that patients with minimal improvement in positive symptoms during the first week of treatment with a typical antipsychotic are unlikely to respond to a 4-week trial. These data require confirmation and extension to studies with second-generation antipsychotics.

Adolescent↗