- Email: [email protected]
The correlation in biochemical measurements between both parents of schizophrenic patients
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were significant predictors of remission status. Global sulcal widening on CT scans and CSF MHPG were significantly correlated with change in psychopathology. Conclusions: The results suggest that variables associated with a change in psychopathology differ from those variables associated with full remission in six weeks.
PREDICTION OF RELAPSE RISK OVER TIME F O L L O W I N G HALOPERIDOL W I T H D R A W A L IN SCHIZOPHRENIA Daniel P. van Kammen*, Mary E. Kelley, John A. Gurklis, Mark W. Gilbertson, Jeffrey K. Yao,
oped a new Western blot WB assay for antibodies to BDV using proteins derived from a human neural cell line and have completed a pilot study in patients from a schizophrenia research clinic and normal controls. The new WB is compared to serological methods in common use. By WB we have found an anti-BDV seropositive rate of 14% in patients and 0% in controls. Putamen volume differentiated BDV + from B D V patients on MRI and there were trend differences for smaller bilateral amygdalae and the left amygdala-hippocampal complex. Of 64 patients who were categorized as deficit syndrome positive or negative, 5/15 deficit and 4/49 nondeficit were BDV seropositive. Of a sex, race, and age matched subgroup of nondeficit patients, 0/15 were seropositive. This provides a basis to hypothesize that BDV seropositive status is associated with deficit syndrome schizophrenia.
Jeffrey L. Peters
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3811 O'Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA Objective: To determine which biological and behavioral variables measured prior to drug withdrawal are associated with more precipitous relapse following haloperidol withdrawal. Methods: In the week prior to haloperidol discontinuation global behavioral ratings and a lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) monoamine metabolites were obtained in a sample of 80 DSM-III-R schizophrenic patients. Patients were followed until relapse criteria were met or up to 150 days. Cox regression analysis was used to find predictors of the survival function, or the probability of relapse at a given time drug free. Results: The final model indicated that increased psychosis, decreased anxiety, lower CSF 5-hydroxy-indole acetic acid (5HIAA) and larger VBR's were associated with earlier psychotic relapse. Conclusions: Our study indicates that several state and trait aspects of schizophrenia affect the time a patient will remain drug-free and clinically stable. Specifically the role of CSF 5HIAA suggests that impulse management may play a role in psychotic relapse.
B O R N A DISEASE VIRUS ANTIBODIES A N D SCHIZOPHRENIA R.W. Waltrip*, R.W. B u c h a n a n , A. Summerfelt, A. Breier, W.T. Carpenter, N.L. Bryant, B. Kirkpatrick, S.A. R u b i n , K . M . C a r b o n e
THE CORRELATION IN BIOCHEMICAL M E A S U R E M E N T S BETWEEN BOTH PARENTS OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS J. Wei*, C.N. Ramchand, A.E. Clark, G.P. Hemmings Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Schizophrenia Association ~?] Great Britain, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2 UW, UK The concentrations of serum homovanillic acid (HVA), norepinephrine (NE), tyrosine (Tyr), phenylalanine (Phe) and tryptophan (Trp), and the activity of serum dopamine-flhydroxylase (DBH), platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO), and erythrocyte catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) were measured in 68 healthy parents who had schizophrenic offspring. The results show a significant correlation between the parents of schizophrenic patients in serum HVA (r=0.38, n=34, p<0.05), NE (r=0.40, n=33, p<0.02), Phe (r=0.44, n=34, p<0.01), Tyr (r=0.43, n=34, p<0.02) and DBH activity (r= 0.51, n = 30, p < 0.005), but do not show a significant correlation in erythrocyte COMT (r=0.001, n=27), platelet MAO (r= 0.04, n = 2 3 ) or serum Trp (r=0.10, n=34). There were no significant correlations in these measurements between randomly matched parents. The present study suggests that both parental sides of schizophrenic patients are likely to have similar alleles associated with the catecholamine pathway, and their ill offspring may possess a double dose of the schizophrenogenic alleles.
Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, P.O. Box 21247, Baltimore, MD 21228, USA
NEUROLEPTIC EFFECT O N SEROTONINAMPLIFIED P L A T E L E T A G G R E G A T I O N
Schizophrenia (Sz) has long been hypothesized to have a viral etiological component. Most candidate viral agents studied in Sz have been high seroprevalence viruses, such as herpes class. These studies lack large effect sizes and an explanation of why small percentages of those infected would develop Sz. Borna Disease Virus (BDV) is relatively limbic neurotropic and is considered to be a candidate human pathogen, possibly causing a range of neuropsychiatric manifestations. We devel-
Jeffrey K. Yao*, Daniel P. v a n K a m m e n , H o w a r d B. Moss, a n d D a v i d E. Sokulski
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA Central 5-HT2 receptors have been located on human platelets, providing us with a peripheral model with which to study
were significant predictors of remission status. Global sulcal widening on CT scans and CSF MHPG were significantly correlated with change in psychopathology. Conclusions: The results suggest that variables associated with a change in psychopathology differ from those variables associated with full remission in six weeks.
PREDICTION OF RELAPSE RISK OVER TIME F O L L O W I N G HALOPERIDOL W I T H D R A W A L IN SCHIZOPHRENIA Daniel P. van Kammen*, Mary E. Kelley, John A. Gurklis, Mark W. Gilbertson, Jeffrey K. Yao,
oped a new Western blot WB assay for antibodies to BDV using proteins derived from a human neural cell line and have completed a pilot study in patients from a schizophrenia research clinic and normal controls. The new WB is compared to serological methods in common use. By WB we have found an anti-BDV seropositive rate of 14% in patients and 0% in controls. Putamen volume differentiated BDV + from B D V patients on MRI and there were trend differences for smaller bilateral amygdalae and the left amygdala-hippocampal complex. Of 64 patients who were categorized as deficit syndrome positive or negative, 5/15 deficit and 4/49 nondeficit were BDV seropositive. Of a sex, race, and age matched subgroup of nondeficit patients, 0/15 were seropositive. This provides a basis to hypothesize that BDV seropositive status is associated with deficit syndrome schizophrenia.
Jeffrey L. Peters
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3811 O'Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA Objective: To determine which biological and behavioral variables measured prior to drug withdrawal are associated with more precipitous relapse following haloperidol withdrawal. Methods: In the week prior to haloperidol discontinuation global behavioral ratings and a lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) monoamine metabolites were obtained in a sample of 80 DSM-III-R schizophrenic patients. Patients were followed until relapse criteria were met or up to 150 days. Cox regression analysis was used to find predictors of the survival function, or the probability of relapse at a given time drug free. Results: The final model indicated that increased psychosis, decreased anxiety, lower CSF 5-hydroxy-indole acetic acid (5HIAA) and larger VBR's were associated with earlier psychotic relapse. Conclusions: Our study indicates that several state and trait aspects of schizophrenia affect the time a patient will remain drug-free and clinically stable. Specifically the role of CSF 5HIAA suggests that impulse management may play a role in psychotic relapse.
B O R N A DISEASE VIRUS ANTIBODIES A N D SCHIZOPHRENIA R.W. Waltrip*, R.W. B u c h a n a n , A. Summerfelt, A. Breier, W.T. Carpenter, N.L. Bryant, B. Kirkpatrick, S.A. R u b i n , K . M . C a r b o n e
THE CORRELATION IN BIOCHEMICAL M E A S U R E M E N T S BETWEEN BOTH PARENTS OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS J. Wei*, C.N. Ramchand, A.E. Clark, G.P. Hemmings Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Schizophrenia Association ~?] Great Britain, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2 UW, UK The concentrations of serum homovanillic acid (HVA), norepinephrine (NE), tyrosine (Tyr), phenylalanine (Phe) and tryptophan (Trp), and the activity of serum dopamine-flhydroxylase (DBH), platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO), and erythrocyte catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) were measured in 68 healthy parents who had schizophrenic offspring. The results show a significant correlation between the parents of schizophrenic patients in serum HVA (r=0.38, n=34, p<0.05), NE (r=0.40, n=33, p<0.02), Phe (r=0.44, n=34, p<0.01), Tyr (r=0.43, n=34, p<0.02) and DBH activity (r= 0.51, n = 30, p < 0.005), but do not show a significant correlation in erythrocyte COMT (r=0.001, n=27), platelet MAO (r= 0.04, n = 2 3 ) or serum Trp (r=0.10, n=34). There were no significant correlations in these measurements between randomly matched parents. The present study suggests that both parental sides of schizophrenic patients are likely to have similar alleles associated with the catecholamine pathway, and their ill offspring may possess a double dose of the schizophrenogenic alleles.
Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, P.O. Box 21247, Baltimore, MD 21228, USA
NEUROLEPTIC EFFECT O N SEROTONINAMPLIFIED P L A T E L E T A G G R E G A T I O N
Schizophrenia (Sz) has long been hypothesized to have a viral etiological component. Most candidate viral agents studied in Sz have been high seroprevalence viruses, such as herpes class. These studies lack large effect sizes and an explanation of why small percentages of those infected would develop Sz. Borna Disease Virus (BDV) is relatively limbic neurotropic and is considered to be a candidate human pathogen, possibly causing a range of neuropsychiatric manifestations. We devel-
Jeffrey K. Yao*, Daniel P. v a n K a m m e n , H o w a r d B. Moss, a n d D a v i d E. Sokulski
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA Central 5-HT2 receptors have been located on human platelets, providing us with a peripheral model with which to study