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New study finds antibodies that may be the cause of schizophrenia in some patients

Research

For the first time specific antibodies have been found to be associated with the onset of schizophrenia in a study led by Professor Belinda Lennox.

The study – ‘Prevalence and clinical characteristics of serum neuronal cell surface antibodies in first episode psychosis’ -  published in The Lancet Psychiatry, reveals that certain kinds of antibodies appear in the blood of a significant percentage of people presenting with a first episode of psychosis. These antibodies, including those against the ‘NMDA receptor’, have previously been shown to cause encephalitis, a life threatening inflammation of the brain. This study now shows for the first time, that these same antibodies are also found in people with early presentations of schizophrenia.

Read more (Department of Psychiatry website)

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