A study to investigate association between advanced glycation end-products and drug naïve first episode psychosis.

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K07579
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 52030:Psychiatry-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science
• Principal Investigator: MIYASHITA Mitsuhiro 公益財団法人東京都医学総合研究所, 精神行動医学研究分野, 主席研究員 (60532132)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: AGEs / Fingertip AGEs / psychosis / adolescents / drug naive / schizophrenia / psychotic experience / first episode psychosis

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Accumulated evidences have shown that advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are associated with pathophysiology underlying chronic schizophrenia. However, it is still unknown whether AGEs are related to the development of psychosis among drug naive adolescents, or among patients with first episode psychosis (FEP). This study showed that fingertip AGEs predicted the persistent psychotic experiences (PLEs), which is the risk of development of later psychosis, and that patients with FEP showed higher level of fingertip AGEs compared to those of control subjects. These findings indicate that AGEs are not only involved in chronic schizophrenia but also in the development of psychosis. In summary, we revealed that there is a clear relationship between AGEs and trajectory of psychosis.

Free Research Field

統合失調症

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

今回の研究の結果、慢性期の統合失調症患者だけでなく初発の統合失調症患者でもAGEsが蓄積することを明らかにした。さらに、未服薬の思春期児童のうち、統合失調症を発症する可能性が高まっている児童でも、AGEsが蓄積することを明らかにした。このことは、AGEsの蓄積が統合失調症の発症にも関係することを示唆している。早期から適切な支援をすることは、統合失調症の予防や治療において最も重要なことであり、AGEsは指先で簡単に測定できるため、統合失調症を発症する可能性がある思春期児童を早い段階で見つけることができ、さらに面接と組み合わせることでより良い支援に役立つようになると考えられる。