title: Increased Blood-Reelin-Levels in First Episode Schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reelin is an extracellular glycoprotein involved in several functions of brain development, synaptogenesis and dendritic proliferation. Numerous studies found perturbation in the reelin system and altered serum reelin levels in neuropsychiatric patients using the western blot procedure. In the international literature, this is the first study that made use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to analyze serum reelin protein concentration quantitatively.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  In order to study possible alterations in reelin blood levels in schizophrenia, we analyzed this signal in schizophrenic patients with a first episode hallucinatory and paranoid syndrome and control subjects in a pilot study design.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found increased blood reelin protein concentration in schizophrenic patients compared to healthy controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings point to a relevant role of reelin metabolism in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.Reelin could be a biomarker for the course of disease or psychopharmacological treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that the reelin protein blood concentration might be a relevant signal with respect to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Hauptstr. 5, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
authors: Tobias
authors: T
authors: Hornig
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Exp. Epilepsy Research, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Breisacher Strasse 64, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.
authors: Carola
authors: C
authors: Haas
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Hauptstr. 5, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
authors: Lukas
authors: L
authors: Sturm
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Hauptstr. 5, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
authors: Bernd
authors: B
authors: Fiebich
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Hauptstr. 5, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
authors: Ludger
authors: L
authors: Tebartz van Elst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000097:blood*; D003710:Demography; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D000091042:Reelin Protein; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D000091042:Reelin Protein; C000717127:RELN protein, human; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases