Causes
Pisa syndrome is predominantly caused by a prolonged administration or an overly dosed administration of antipsychotic drugs. Although antipsychotic drugs are known to be the main drugs that are concerned with this syndrome, several other drugs are reported to have caused the syndrome as well. Certain antidepressants, psychoactive drugs, and antiemetics have also been found to cause Pisa syndrome in patients.
Drugs found to have caused Pisa Syndrome:
- Atypical antipsychotic drugs- ex. clozapine, aripiprazole
- Tricyclic antidepressants- ex. clomipramine
- Psychoactive drugs
- Antiemetic drugs
- Cholinesterase inhibitors
- Galantamine
Based on the drugs that caused Pisa syndrome, it has been implicated that the syndrome may be due to a dopaminergic-cholinergic imbalance or a serotonergic or noradrenergic dysfunction. For the development of Pisa syndrome that cannot be alleviated by anticholinergic drugs, it has been considered that asymmetric brain functions or neural transmission may be the underlying mechanism. How these drugs interact with the biochemistry of the brain to cause the syndrome is unknown and a topic of current research.
Read more about this topic: Pleurothotonus