title: Circulating anti-brain autoantibodies in schizophrenia and mood disorders.
abstract: In recent years, an inflammatory autoimmune process, autoantibodies mediated, has been porposed as having a role in the development of different psychiatric disorders. The aim of this study was to assay organ-specific and non organ-specific circulating autoantibodies in schizophrenia, mood disorders and healthy controls; among organ-specific autoantibodies we focused on different fluorescence patterns of anti-brain autoantibodies against rat and monkey's sections of hippocampus, hypothalamus and cerebellum. Serum samples from 50 acutelly ill patients (30 schizophrenia and 20 mood disorders) and from 20 healthy controls were collected. Autoantibodies were assayed by indirect immunofluorescence, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and chemiluminescence immunoassay. We found a significant difference for circulating autoantibodies to hypothalamus, hippocampus and cerebellum and for anti-nuclear autoantibodies in both schizophrenia and mood disorders when compared to the control group. Referring to the two groups of patients only, circulating antibodies anti-hypothalamus were found significant higher in mood disorders rather than in schizophrenia, with specific regard to nuclear and cytoplasmic staining of the neurons. These data suggest an aspecific diffuse brain involvement of anti-brain autoantibodies in acute phases of schizophrenia and mood disorders. The greater involvement of the hypothalamus in mood disorders highlights the close relationship between autoimmunity, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and affective disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organ, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Azienda Policlinico, P.zza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Margari
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organ, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Azienda Policlinico, P.zza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy. Electronic address: maria.petruzzelli@uniba.it.
authors.forename: Maria Giuseppina
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Petruzzelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organ, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Azienda Policlinico, P.zza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mianulli
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organ, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Azienda Policlinico, P.zza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Gloria
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Campa
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organ, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Azienda Policlinico, P.zza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pastore
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Azienda Policlinico, P.zza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Marilina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tampoia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000502:physiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: ANA; Autoimmunity; Cerebellum; Hippocampus; Hypothalamus; Psychiatric disorders