ABSTRACT
Fatty acid composition was quantitatively analyzed in RBC ghost membranes of 20 schizophrenic patients stabilized with haloperidol (5-20 mg/day) and of the same individuals after haloperdol (HD) withdrawal. The average days on medication and drug-free period were 52 and 40 days, respectively. No significant differences were demonstrated in levels (% or nmol/ml packed RBC) of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) between HD-treated and drug-free patients. Similarly, no significant difference was found between relapsed and nonrelapsed schizophrenic patients, although the mean levels of 20:4 (n - 6), total PUFAs or fatty acid unsaturation index (FAUI) were consistently higher in nonrelapsers than in relapsers. On the other hand, the decreases in FAUI were significantly (r = -0.46, p = 0.04) correlated to the increases in psychosis rating which is consistent with our previous reported correlation between altered membrane fluidity and the severity of symptomatology. In addition, decreases in 18:2 (n - 6) but not 20:4 (n - 6) was significantly correlated to the increases in psychosis rating. The present results lend further support that decreased levels of RBC PUFAs in schizophrenic patients lie in an initial stage of PUFAs pathway, possibly a defective uptake of 18:2 (n - 6) into RBC membranes.
Subject(s)
Erythrocyte Membrane/metabolism , Fatty Acids/metabolism , Membrane Lipids/metabolism , Schizophrenia/blood , Schizophrenic Psychology , Adult , Erythrocyte Deformability/drug effects , Erythrocyte Deformability/physiology , Erythrocyte Membrane/drug effects , Fatty Acids, Unsaturated/metabolism , Haloperidol/adverse effects , Haloperidol/therapeutic use , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Schizophrenia/diagnosis , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Substance Withdrawal Syndrome/bloodABSTRACT
CSF diazepam-binding inhibitor-like immunoreactivity (DBI-LI) and polysomnography were studied in 28 drug-free male schizophrenic (DSM-III-R) patients. They underwent a three-night polysomnography evaluation and a lumbar puncture. CSF DBI-LI correlated positively with REM latency, the REM latency/2d nonREM period ratio and stage-4% sleep, and negatively with stage-1% sleep. CSF DBI-LI did not correlate significantly with duration of sleep or sleep latency. CSF DBI-LI during haloperidol treatment did not correlate significantly with sleep EEG measures. The results of this first study of the relationship between endogenous DBI and sleep in humans suggest that physiological effects of DBI other than interactions with the BZD/GABAA receptor complex may explain its positive effects on sleep. However, the absence of similar sleep data in normal subjects precludes us from establishing a specific relationship between DBI and sleep in schizophrenia.
Subject(s)
Carrier Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Reaction Time/physiology , Schizophrenia/physiopathology , Schizophrenic Psychology , Sleep, REM/physiology , Adult , Carrier Proteins/drug effects , Diazepam Binding Inhibitor , Haloperidol/therapeutic use , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Polysomnography , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Reaction Time/drug effects , Receptors, GABA-A/drug effects , Receptors, GABA-A/physiology , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Sleep Stages/drug effects , Sleep Stages/physiology , Sleep, REM/drug effectsABSTRACT
Chromogranin A (CgA) is a calcium binding protein and a precursor of modulatory peptides in the brain. We measured CgA-like immunoreactivity (CgA-LI) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in 15 male schizophrenic patients (diagnosed by DSM-III-R criteria) after 3 nights of polysomnography. Patients had been drug free for at least 33 days. Our earlier report that CSF CgA-LI in schizophrenic patients correlated significantly with negative symptoms and ventricle-brain ratios, which have been related to slow wave sleep, raised the possibility that CgA-LI might relate to slow wave sleep. CSF CgA-LI was significantly correlated with stage 4 sleep and rapid eye movement latency. Whether these positive relationships between CSF CgA-LI and electroencephalographic sleep measures are specific for schizophrenia awaits further study.