Cortical volume is inversely correlated with Interleukin-6 serum levels in patients with schizophrenia

Authors

  • Sandra Lermen Polita Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, National Science and Technology Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; and Department of Radiology and Magnetic Resonance Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA). http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1432-1337
  • Raffael Massuda Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, National Science and Technology Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; and Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
  • Bruna Schilling Panizzutti Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre (RS), Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Psiquiatria e Ciências do Comportamento, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre (RS), Brazil.
  • Clarissa Severino Gama Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, National Science and Technology Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
  • Juliana Avila Duarte Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, National Science and Technology Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; and Department of Radiology and Magnetic Resonance Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA). Tomoclínica – Canoas, RS, Brazil. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4973-2889

Keywords:

Schizophrenia, Inflammation, MRI

Abstract

Introduction: It is well established that cortical volume are decreased in patients
with schizophrenia. One possible explanation is that the increased pro-inflammatory
status in schizophrenia is related to volumetric decrease of gray matter. The aim of
this study was to correlate interleukin 6 (IL-6) with cortical volume in patients with
schizophrenia and controls.
Methods: We selected 36 patients with schizophrenia and 35 controls. Interleukin 6
(IL-6) was correlated with cortical volume in patients with schizophrenia and controls.
Results: IL-6 was negatively correlated with cortical volume (p = 0.027; rho = −0.370)
in patients, but not in controls (p = 0.235).
Discussion: Our results are in line with previous studies suggesting that chronic
inflammatory activation in patients with schizophrenia could be one plausible mechanism
that could contribute for the cortical volumetric decrease often seen in this population.
However, this cross-sectional study with a small number of patients does not allow
us to establish causal relations.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Raffael Massuda, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, National Science and Technology Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; and Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil.

Currículo Lattes ORCID

Downloads

Published

2021-10-05

How to Cite

1.
Polita SL, Massuda R, Panizzutti BS, Gama CS, Duarte JA. Cortical volume is inversely correlated with Interleukin-6 serum levels in patients with schizophrenia. Clin Biomed Res [Internet]. 2021Oct.5 [cited 2022May22];41(3). Available from: https://www.seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/hcpa/article/view/106797

Issue

Vol. 41 No. 3 (2021)

Section

Original Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).