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Cytokine and growth factor involvement in schizophrenia—support for the developmental model

Molecular Psychiatry volume 5, pages 594–603 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

Medical treatment with various cytokines can provoke psychiatric symptoms. Conversely, psychiatric patients can display abnormalities in cytokine and neurotrophic factor expression. Such observations have pointed to the potential contribution of cytokines and growth factors to schizophrenic pathology and/or etiology. The cellular targets of the relevant factors and the nature of their actions remain to be explored in mental illness, however. Recent physiological studies demonstrate that cytokines and neurotrophic factors can markedly influence synaptic transmission and plasticity upon acute or chronic application. Moreover, many of the molecular alterations observed in the schizophrenic brain are consistent with abnormalities in cytokine and neurotrophic factor regulation of these molecules. In this review, we summarize these molecular pathology findings for schizophrenia and highlight the neurodevelopmental activities of cytokines and neurotrophic factors that may contribute to the etiology or pathology of this illness.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Someya for comments on this manuscript. Work cited from the authors’ laboratories was supported by the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (RFTF-96L00203) (HN), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (MESSC) (HN), the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke and the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (PHP).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan

    H Nawa

  2. Department of Psychiatry, National Saigata Hospital, Nakakubiki-gun, Niigata, Japan

    M Takahashi

  3. Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 91125, CA, USA

    P H Patterson

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  1. H Nawa
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  2. M Takahashi
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  3. P H Patterson
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Nawa, H., Takahashi, M. & Patterson, P. Cytokine and growth factor involvement in schizophrenia—support for the developmental model. Mol Psychiatry 5, 594–603 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4000730

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4000730

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