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Neopterin and Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1α in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Schizophrenic Patients: No Evidence of Intrathecal Inflammation

Background: Numerous reports support the idea that inflammatory and/or immunological processes contribute to the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia. Most of the data are, however, based on findings from body compartments outside the central nervous system (CNS). We measured the concentrations of the inflammatory marker neopterin and the chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-α (MIP-1α) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of acutely psychotic schizophrenic patients and of healthy controls. Methods: The concentration of neopterin was measured in the CSF of 11 schizophrenic patients by radioimmunoassay, and of MIP-1α in the CSF from 8 patients using ELISA. Control CSF was collected from 10 and 8 healthy individuals. Results: No statistically significant differences in CSF neopterin or MIP-1α were detected between patients and controls or between the patient samples obtained on hospital admission and after the treatment period associated with clinical improvement. Conclusions: These findings argue against the hypothesis that active inflammatory processes are part of the pathophysiology of acute psychotic episodes in schizophrenia. The possible mechanisms explaining the previously reported aberrations of mononuclear cells and cytokines in schizophrenia are discussed.