Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T02:11:07.334Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Investigation of Precipitins to Human Brain in Sera of Psychotic Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Robert T. Rubin*
Affiliation:
Biochemical Correlates Laboratory, The Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of California Center for the Health Sciences, Los Angeles, California 90024

Extract

Altered serum proteins in mental illness have been reported by workers in various parts of the world, and a review of these studies has led to the consideration of an autoimmune mechanism in the pathogenesis of some functional psychoses (Fessel, 1962a). Several reports have appeared in recent years which suggest the presence of antibodies in the serum of certain psychiatric patients to central nervous system tissue. Many of these have been reviewed by Vartanyan (1963). Fessel (1962b, 1963) demonstrated agglutination of latex particles coated with monkey brain extract and agglutination of tanned sheep red blood cells coated with human brain extract, but no precipitins in double diffusion in agar of the sera against monkey brain extract. As an alternative to antibrain antibodies he suggested a less specific physicochemical abnormality of the serum which caused the agglutination. Yokoyama, Trams, and Brady (1962), using a sheep red blood cell haemagglutination technique, showed the presence of anti-asialoganglioside antibodies in the sera of 3 of 14 schizophrenic patients and anti-ganglioside antibody in the serum of another. Kuznetzova and Semenov (1961), by complement fixation, demonstrated antibodies in the sera of 22 of 84 schizophrenics, mainly to human brain and not to other organs. The antibodies appeared more frequently in the later stages of the illness (Semenov, Morozov, and Kuznetzova, 1961). Skalickova and Jezkova (1961), also with a complement fixation technique, demonstrated blood and cerebrospinal fluid antibodies to grey and white matter during the “infectious” onset of schizophrenia, but not in the chronic, demented phase.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1965 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Atkinson, R. M., and Rubin, R. T. (1964). “Electroconvulsive treatment and severe cardiovascular disease” Amer. J. Psychiat., 121, 249252.Google Scholar
Brouckova, V. (1959). “[Electrophoresis of blood proteins in psychoses treated with different derivates of phenothiazine]” Cesk. Psychiat., 55, 328333.Google Scholar
Carver, M. J. (1962). “Long-term study of chlorpromazine and meprobamate on serum protein profile” J. nerv. ment. Dis., 135, 126130.Google Scholar
Crowle, A. J. (1961). Immunodiffusion. New York: Academic Press, p. 308.Google Scholar
Fessel, W. J. (1962a). “Blood proteins in functional psychoses” Arch. gen. Psychiat., 6, 132148.Google Scholar
Fessel, W. J. (1962b). “Autoimmunity and mental illness” Ibid., 6, 320323.Google Scholar
Fessel, W. J. (1963). “The ‘antibrain’ factors in psychiatric patients' sera” Ibid., 8, 614621.Google Scholar
Fonkalsrud, E. W., and Longmire, W. P. (1961). “The occurrence of pancreatic antibodies and the experimental production of pancreatitis with pancreatic antiserum” Surgery, 50, 134142.Google Scholar
Grembowicz, Z., and Leja, Z. (1959). “[Electrophoretic analysis of the blood serum proteins in the course of Largactil treatment of schizophrenic patients]” Pol. Tyg. lek., 14, 300302.Google Scholar
Hippius, H. (1959). “Humoral changes produced by Tofranil and phenothiazine compounds” Ganad. psychiat. Assoc. J., 4 (suppl.), 182186.Google Scholar
Hvidt, S., and Clausen, J. (1964). “[Hashimoto's thyroiditis]” Nord. Med., 71, 234237.Google Scholar
Jankovic, B. D., Isakovic, K., and Mihailovic, L. (1960). “Organ-specificity of lipids extracted from various regions of cat brain” Int. Arch. Allergy, 17, 211220.Google Scholar
Kerbikov, O. V. (1961). “Immunological reactivity in schizophrenia as influenced by some modern drugs” Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 92, 10981105.Google Scholar
Kuznetzova, N. I., and Semenov, S. F. (1961). “[Detection of antibrain antibodies in the blood serum of patients with neuropsychiatric diseases]” Zh. Nevropat. Psikhiat. Korsakov, 61, 869874.Google Scholar
Mihailovic, L., and Jankovic, B. D. (1961). “Effects of intraventricularly injected anti-n. caudatus antibody on the electrical activity of the cat brain” Nature, 192, 665666.Google Scholar
Mihailovic, L., and Jankovic, B. D. (1963). “The effects of anti-cerebral antibodies on the functions of the brain.” (Lecture at U.C.L.A. Brain Research Institute, 24 June.)Google Scholar
Ouchterlony, O. (1962). “Diffusion-in-gel methods for immunological analysis, II” Progr. Allergy, 6, 30154.Google Scholar
Saunders, J. C., and Muchmore, E. (1964). “Phenothiazine effect on human antibody synthesis” Brit. J. Psychiat., 110, 8489.Google Scholar
Semenov, S. F., Morozov, G. V., and Kuznetzova, N. I. (1961). “[Evaluation of the clinical significance of antibrain antibodies in the serum of patients with schizophrenic and other neuropsychiatric diseases]” Zh. Nevropat. Psikhiat. Korsakov, 61, 12101215.Google Scholar
Skalickova, O., and Jezkova, Z. (1961). “[Immunologic study of schizophrenia]” Cos. Lek. Cesk., 100, 12331240.Google Scholar
van Oss, C. J., and Heck, Y. S. L. (1961). “Qualitative and quantitative interpretation of double diffusion” Z. Immunitätsforsch., 122, 4457.Google Scholar
Vartanyan, M. E. (1963). “[Immunobiologic studies in schizophrenia]” Zh. Nevropat. Psikhiat. Korsakov, 63, 457465.Google Scholar
Waksman, B. H. (1959). “Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and the ‘auto-allergic’ diseases” Int. Arch. Allergy, 14 (suppl.), 187.Google Scholar
Yokoyama, M., Trams, E. G., and Brady, R. O. (1962). “Sphingolipid antibodies in sera of animals and patients with central nervous system lesions” Proc. Soc. exper. biol. Med., 111, 350352.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.