No changes in serum epidermal growth factor levels in patients with schizophrenia.
A recent report demonstrated that serum levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF) were significantly decreased in patients with schizophrenia, suggesting that impaired EGF signaling might be associated with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Our goal in the present study was to determine whether serum levels of EGF are altered in patients with schizophrenia. We found that serum levels of EGF in drug-naive (n = 15) or medicated patients (n = 25) with schizophrenia did not differ from those of age- and sex-matched normal controls (n = 40). However, we found a significant correlation between serum EGF levels and BPRS scores in the combined groups of patients. Therefore, our results do not support the claim that EGF plays a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, but they suggest that EGF may serve as a state marker, that is, as an index of symptom-linked deficits.
Department of Psychiatry, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. hashimoto@faculty.chiba-u.jp
Kenji
K
Hashimoto
Eiji
E
Shimizu
Naoya
N
Komatsu
Hiroyuki
H
Watanabe
Naoyuki
N
Shinoda
Michiko
M
Nakazato
Chikara
C
Kumakiri
Shin-ichi
S
Okada
Nori
N
Takei
Masaomi
M
Iyo
D000328:Adult; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000097:blood; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis
D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor