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Objectives Photosensitivity to ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation from sunlight is an important side effect of treatment with antipsychotic agents. However, the pathophysiology of drug‐induced photosensitivity remains unclear. Recent studies demonstrated the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), annotated as carbonyl stress, to be associated with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. In this study, we investigated the relationship among skin AGE levels, minimal response dose (MRD) with UVA for photosensitivity, and the daily dose of antipsychotic agents in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Methods We enrolled 14 patients with schizophrenia and 14 healthy controls. Measurement of skin AGE levels was conducted with AGE scanner, a fluorometric method for assaying skin AGE levels. Measurement of MRD was conducted with UV irradiation device. Results Skin AGE levels and MRD at 24, 48, and 72 hr in patients with schizophrenia showed a higher tendency for photosensitivity than in the controls, but the difference was statistically insignificant. Multiple linear regression analysis using skin AGE levels failed to show any influence of independent variables. MRD did not affect skin AGE levels. Conclusions Photosensitivity to UVA in patients with schizophrenia receiving treatment with antipsychotic agents might not be affected by skin AGE levels.

The present study aimed to investigate the pleiotropic effects of candidate loci identified by genome-wide association studies, how they may function as possible proxy phenotypes for educational attainment, and how they affect clinical symptoms and their detailed psychometrics in Japanese patients with schizophrenia. Method: Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs6739979, rs11588857, and rs2245901) common in Japanese individuals showing a relationship to both schizophrenia and educational attainments from a previously conducted genome-wide study (Okbay, 2016) were investigated in a case-control study between 640 unrelated Japanese patients with schizophrenia and 640 healthy controls. The relationship between these SNPs and detailed clinical information, including educational attainments and cognitive function from psychometrics, were investigated in these patients. Results: Results of the present study show that these SNPs are not genetic risk factors for schizophrenia. However, SNP rs2245901 in the 2q32.3 region showed a relationship to declining performance intelligent quotients in schizophrenia patients, as seen from multiple linear regression analysis. Conclusion: The genetic region at 2q32.3 may influence the attained education and decline of cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia.

This retrospective observational study investigated the relationship between rehospitalization rates and use of antipsychotic agents. The medical records of 92 Japanese patients with acute stage schizophrenia who were admitted to Juntendo Koshigaya Hospital or Juntendo University Hospital between April 2012 and March 2014 were reviewed retrospectively. Univariate analysis indicated no significant differences in the types of antipsychotics administered to patients who were, versus those who were not, rehospitalized; however, the former group were significantly older (47.8 ± 12.4 years vs 40.2 ± 12.9 years, respectively, P = .014) and had longer durations of illness. The total score of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale was increased significantly in those who were rehospitalized. However, only the score for the item “anxiety” was significantly greater at the time of rehospitalization compared with that recorded at last discharge (4.00 ± 1.45 vs 2.00 ± 0.72, respectively, P < .001). Age and anxiety may be associated with rehospitalization. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2020;50(7):310–316.]