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BIDDEFORD, Maine

UNE's Houseknecht lab shows how antipsychotic medications affect heart function

Karen Houseknecht

Researchers from the Houseknecht laboratory at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine recently presented research that shows, for the first time, that popular antipsychotic medications alter mitochondrial function in the heart.

The work, presented at the Mitochondria, Metabolism and the Heart conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico demonstrates that that antipsychotic medications risperidone and olanzapine alter mitochondrial function in the heart following 4 weeks of treatment in mice. 

Researchers also showed that drug treatment caused significant alterations in the expression of cardiac genes relating to regulation of energy metabolism, adaptive thermogenesis and circadian rhythms. Finally, they presented lipidomics analysis, which indicated that these drugs caused significant changes in several classes of lipids in blood of mice treated for 4 weeks with clinically relevant doses of these widely prescribed medications. Their data indicate that these drugs can cause early metabolic changes in the heart that may lead to accelerated cardiovascular disease.

Karen Houseknecht, Ph.D., served as senior author on the research. Collaborators included Megan Beauchemin, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow in the Houseknecht laboratory; Deborah Barlow, Ph.D., technician in the Houseknecht lab; Anyonya Guntur, Ph.D., and Phuong T. Le, Ph.D., of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research at Maine Medical Center Research Institute, and Katie Motyl, Ph.D., of the Center for Molecular Medicine at Maine Medical Center Research Institute.

To learn more about the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, visit www.une.edu/com

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.