Antibodies to Thymocytes in Sera of Patients with Schizophrenia

Abstract

Sera from healthy people and from patients with schizophrenia were heated at 560 for 30 min and then kept at 4'. These sera were then tested for cytotoxicity and by the indirect immunofluorescerice method with thymocytes, bone-marrow cells, and lymph-node cells of adult C3H mice. The cytotoxicity index for mouse thymocytes of sera from 60 healthy donors ranged from 0.00 to 0.4, with an average of 0.08. That of sera from 35 patients with schizophrenia ranged from 0.29 to 0.91, with an average of 0.71. The cytotoxicity index for mouse bone-marrow cells of sera from healthy donors ranged from 0.03 to 0.23, whereas that of sera from patients with schizophrenia ranged from 0.00 to 0.14. Sera of patients at dilutions of 1: 8-1:32 displayed immunofluorescence of almost 100% of thymocytes and 58-78% of lymphocytes, whereas sera of healthy donors displayed none. We thus conclude that the sera of patients with schizophrenia contain antibodies against thymic antigens localized on thymocytes and thymus-derived lymphocytes.

Viruses, Immunity, and Mental Disorders

“…Figure 1 shows that in the patient group there is an accumulation of subjects with high ATA levels, from 0.46 to 1.0. This corresponds with previous findings (Luria and Domashneva, 1973; of high blood serum ATA in schizophrenia patients. Further analysis revealed that the serum ATA of patient group 1 was significantly higher than that of the matching control (0.36 ± 0.06 and 0.11 ± 0.02, P < 0.001), whereas in group 2, we found no differences between the patients and healthy donors ( Table 3).…”

Schizophrenia is a TH2 dominant autoimmune disease possibly against acetylcholine receptors of CNS

“…In a PNAS paper, autoantibodies against thymocytes are also noted in serum of schizophrenia patients. (Luria and Domashneva 1974) Thus, the autoantigen of schizophrenia might also be AchR.…”

Failure to Detect Immunologic Stigmata in Schizophrenia

“…The results of some authors would suggest that immunologic events are involved [1][2][3][4][5]. Thus in schizophrenic patients [1] an in creased number of multiplying lymphocytes in the peripheral blood has been found by autoradiography, detecting cells in the S phase of the cell cycle.…”

“…Thus in schizophrenic patients [1] an in creased number of multiplying lymphocytes in the peripheral blood has been found by autoradiography, detecting cells in the S phase of the cell cycle. A depressed response to phytohemagglutinin stimulation of periph eral blood lymphocytes has also been seen [2][3], Antibodies reacting with mouse thy mocytes have been found either by immu nofluorescence staining or in a cytotoxicity assay [3][4][5]. (The mouse thymus shares an antigen with mouse and human brain).…”