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.

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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.

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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 2022May20];41(3). Available from: https://www.seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/hcpa/article/view/106797

Issue

Vol. 41 No. 3 (2021)

Section

Original Articles

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