Swiprosin-1/ EFhd2: from Immune Regulator to Personality and Brain Disorders.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Swiprosin-1/ EF-hand domain 2 (EFhd2) is a Ca2+ sensor protein that plays an important role in the immune system. Its abundant expression in the brain, however, suggested also a role in neuronal circuits and behavior. METHODS: Here we review recent discoveries on the structure and molecular function, its role in immunity and its function in the brain regarding behavioral control and pathologies. RESULTS: While EFhd2 did not emerge as a vital protein for brain development, changes in its expression may nevertheless shape the adult behavioral repertoire significantly and contribute to adult personality traits. A defective function of EFhd2 may also render individuals more prone to the development of psychiatric disorders. Most prominently, EFhd2 proved to be a resilience factor protecting from fast establishment of drug addiction. Moreover, EFhd2 is critical for adult neurogenesis and as a modulator of monoaminergic systems. CONCLUSION: Dysregulated activity of EFhd2 is increasingly considered as a contributing factor for the development of numerous neurodegenerative disorders. Whether EFhd2 can be used as biomarker or in therapeutic approaches has to be addressed in future research.

[Possibilities of the use of immunological indicators for the assessment of the risk of manifestation of endogenous psychoses in patients with nonpsychotic disorders of the juvenile age].

OBJECTIVE: To study parameters of innate and adaptive immunity in the blood serum of patients with nonpsychotic mental disorders and to classify them by risk of psychosis manifestation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Authors studied 49 male patients, aged from 16 to 25 years, with nonpsychotic mental disorders corresponded to the premanifest stage of endogenous psychosis. The activity of leukocyte elastase (LE), functional activity of alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (α1-PI) and the level of autoantibodies (aAB) to S-100 and basic myelin protein were measured. RESULTS: A significant increase in LE and α1-PI was found in patients compared to controls (p<0.001). The level of aAB to neuroantigens was similar in patients and controls. The increase in LE activity was positively correlated with HAM-D depressive symptoms and SOPS total scores (r=0.47, p=0.02). Correlations between α1-PI activity and scores on SOPS positive subscale (r= -0.61, p=0.002) and SOPS total scores (r= -0.43, p=0.04) were identified. After treatment, the improvement of patient's state assessed by SOPS and HAM-D was correlated with the decrease in LE activity in 80% (p<0.01). The further increase of LE activity in 20% may be considered as an indicator of low quality remission and risk of psychosis manifestation. CONCLUSION: Patients with nonpsychotic mental disorders with higher levels of inflammation markers may be attributed to high risk group.

[Cytotoxic activity of blood serum in borderline conditions]. / Tsitotoksicheskaia aktivnost' syvorotki krovi pri pogranichnykh sostoianiiakh.

A study was made of cytotoxic activity of blood serum from 118 patients with borderline neuropsychic disorders (neurotic depression, neurosis, psychopathy, pathologic development of the personality on the basis of organic injury to the brain). Material of 114 mentally and somatically healthy donors served as control. Balb mouse thymocytes and organ culture of the rat brain were employed as test objects. ++Anti-thymus activity (ATA) was measured according to the cytotoxic index, whereas neurotoxic activity (NTA) by inhibition of 3H-cholesterol incorporation. The patients and donors groups differed by distribution of persons with high and low values of NTA and ATA. However, according to the mean level of blood serum cytotoxic activity such a difference was revealed only in respect to NTA. The determined parameters are related in a different way to the patient's age and similarly to the disease standing. The intensity of ATA and NTA was different in different nosological subgroups. An interrelationship was established between the clinical and biological dynamics, supporting a possibility of the use of the given tests as predictors of the therapeutic efficacy and the depth of homeostasis derangement.

A survey of serum antibodies to eight common viruses in psychiatric patients.

Serum antibody titres to eight neurotropic viruses were measured by enzyme immunoassay in 450 psychiatric in-patients and 143 controls. A seasonal variation in schizophrenic births was observed, with a peak incidence between March and April. Both herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus antibody titres correlated with age and, when this was controlled for, no significant differences emerged between any patient group and the controls. Mumps antibody titres were significantly lower in patients with mental subnormal and neurosis or personality disorder; measles and rubella antibody titres were lower in male but not female mentally handicapped patients; males had lower antibody titres to mumps, cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus than females in all groups. A decrease in mumps antibody titres was also found in schizophrenics if the medication factor was excluded. These low antibody titres may indicate an impaired immune response. Thus perinatal or childhood subclinical viral infections of the central nervous system, particularly of mumps, might lead to a range of possible psychiatric outcomes in later life.

Viral infection and psychiatric disorders.

A psychiatric population of 94 inpatients and 12 outpatients was investigated on referral to a psychiatric unit in a general hospital for serum antibody titres to several viruses by a complement fixation technique. Of the total population studied, only eight were considered to have antibody titres of possible significance. This result would appear to indicate that viral infection does not play a major part in the causation or precipitation of psychiatric disorders.