Peripheral immuno-inflammatory abnormalities in ultra-high risk of developing psychosis

Background: Immuno-inflammatory imbalances have been documented in schizophrenia, but very little is known about the immunological changes prior to the onset of disease. Objective: Thiswork aimed to compare serumlevels of pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines in young subjects at ultra-high risk (UHR) of developing psychosis with age-and sex-matched healthy controls. Methods: A total of 12 UHR and 16 age-and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) subjects were enrolled in this study. Clinical profile was assessed using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS), Semi-Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis-I (SCID-I) or Kiddie-SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (KSADS-PL), and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale. Seruminterleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL-17 were measured by flow cytometry using the Th1/Th2/Th17 cytometric bead array. Results: Compared with the healthy control group, patients in UHR showed increased IL-6 levels (Z=-2.370, p = 0.018) and decreased IL-17 levels in serum (Z = -1.959, p = 0.050). Levels of IL-17 positively correlated to the values in GAF symptoms (rho= 0.632, p = 0.028). Conclusion: Our results suggest that immunological imbalances could be present in the early stages of psychosis, including in at-risk stages. Future studies should replicate and expand these results. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.