Inflammatory cytokines and neurological and neurocognitive alterations in the course of schizophrenia.

ABSTRACT: A growing body of evidence suggests that immune alterations, especially those related to inflammation, are associated with increased risk of schizophrenia and schizophrenia-related brain alterations. Much of this work has focused on the prenatal period, because infections during pregnancy have been repeatedly (albeit inconsistently) linked to risk of schizophrenia. Given that most infections do not cross the placenta, cytokines associated with inflammation (proinflammatory cytokines) have been targeted as potential mediators of the damaging effects of infection on the fetal brain in prenatal studies. Moreover, additional evidence from both human and animal studies suggests links between increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines, immune-related genes, and schizophrenia as well as brain

SUBMITTER: Fineberg AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3641168 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature