The neural effects of psychotropic medications in children and adolescents

Abstract

Little is known about the neurobiological effects of psychotropic medications used in the treatment of children and adolescents diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. This review provides a synopsis of the literature demonstrating the neural effects associated with exposure to psychotropic medication in youth using multimodal neuroimaging. The article concludes by illustrating how, taken together, these studies suggest that pharmacological interventions during childhood do indeed affect brain structure and function in a detectable manner, and the effects appear to be ameliorative.

Fig. 1

Selected brain regions affected by medication exposure in youth versus healthy volunteers. Superscript numbers indicate appropriate references listed on the right. DVPX, divalproex; SGA, second-generation antipsychotic; SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.