Exploration of Antibodies Present in the Serum of Schizophrenia Patients and Examination of Their Pathological Significance

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K16647
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 52030:Psychiatry-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Nakagami Yukako 京都大学, 学生総合支援機構, 助教 (60866185)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 統合失調症 / 自己抗体 / ELISA / 病的意義

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we established an ELISA method to measure anti-PDHA1 antibodies and evaluated the antibody titers in the sera of patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. A statistical comparison of the antibody titers between the two groups showed that the titers in the patient group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Additionally, in both groups, there were cases with high titers exceeding the mean value +2SD. Comparing the number of high-titer cases between the two groups revealed a statistically significant difference. Furthermore, an evaluation of the changes in anti-PDHA1 antibody titers and symptoms suggested that these antibodies are more likely to be trait markers associated with schizophrenia rather than state markers reflecting the condition. This indicates the potential usefulness of anti-PDHA1 antibodies as diagnostic markers for schizophrenia.

Free Research Field

精神医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、一部の統合失調症患者の血清に抗PDHA1抗体が存在することを示し、この抗体が統合失調症の診断に役立つ可能性を示しました。本抗体を有する群における病態解明の鍵となると考えられます。また、この抗体が診断に使えるようになれば、早期診断や個別の治療が進むことが期待されます。さらに、本研究成果は、統合失調症の原因の一部に自己免疫異常が関与していることを支持する結果であり、今後の研究や新しい治療法の開発に活かされることが期待されます。