On the markers for schizophrenia

Abstract

Summary. The study of various markers indicating an imbalance in both the neurotransmitter and immune systems observed in patients with schizophrenia is currently of great scientific and practical interest. These studies allow us to deepen knowledge about the etiology and pathogenesis of schizophrenic spectrum disorders, to facili-tate the classification and conduct of differential diagnosis in complex diagnostic cases. The article presents the results of laboratory studies of DMT-1, CD4, CD20, CD34 and dopamine in 24 people suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, and 14 healthy individuals. The aim of the study was to determine DMT-1, CD4, CD20, CD34 and dopamine as possible markers for the diagnosis of schizophrenia using the minimally invasive method.Materials and methods: Buccal epithelium was taken in 2 groups of patients suffering from paranoid schizophrenia receiving and not receiving therapy with psychotropic drugs. The third group consisted of healthy volunteers. The samples were studied by the immunocytochemical method followed by visualization using scanning laser confocal microscopy and morphometric analysis.Results and discussion: : It was revealed that the markers studied were found to be associated with the nature of mental disorder, but not with the influence of psychotropic drugs used in it. Conclusion: The results of this study may indicate the possibility of minimally invasive diagnosis of schizophrenia using this method; however, the authors note that the results of the study should be considered preliminary. It is necessary to expand the number of patients and compare them with groups of patients suffering from other mental disorders, which is certainly important for assessing the adequacy of the proposed method and the possibility of its use in differential diagnosis.