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The following is a summary of “Variations in inflammatory regulators in male patients with chronic schizophrenia associated with psychopathology and cognitive deficits,” published in the November 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Guo et al. 

Immune dysregulation is a key factor in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to explore immune regulators and their link to psychopathology and cognitive function in male patients with chronic schizophrenia. 

They employed a cross-sectional design with 72 male patients with chronic schizophrenia. Psychopathology was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and cognitive functions were evaluated using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. 

The results showed significantly increased levels of IL-4, IL-13, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and decreased IL-10 in patients compared to controls (all P < 0.05). IL-4 negatively correlated with PANSS positive symptoms (beta=-0.222, P=0.042), but this was no longer significant after adjustments (r=-0.232, P=0.055). IL-4, IL-13, and MCP-1 were positively correlated with language scores (beta=0.297, P=0.008; beta=0.371, P=0.001; beta=0.280, P=0.013). Elevated IL-4 (P=0.044, OR=1.994), IL-13 (P=0.019, OR=2.245), and their interaction with MCP-1 (P=0.043, OR=2.000) were associated with increased schizophrenia risk, while lower IL-10 (P=0.003, OR=0.287) was also linked to higher risk. 

They identified associations between immune markers and clinical features of chronic schizophrenia in males. These findings highlighted immune-mediated mechanisms in schizophrenia. 

Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-06288-9