SOLUBLE IL-6 RECEPTORS IN THE SERUM AND CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID OF PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS

Soluble Interleukin-6 receptor (sIL-6R) levels are strongly related to the levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and sIL-6Rs increase the immune a ctivating properties of IL-6. We estimated sIL-6R serum levels in 25 s chizophrenic patients and 25 healthy controls. In the patients, sIL-6R -CSF levels were also measured. The psychopathology was rated accordin g to the AMDP system. We found a significant correlation between serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of sIL-6R, suggesting that serum levels may be a meaningful marker for the central action of sIL-6R. M oreover, significant correlations between the paranoid-hallucinatory s yndrome and sIL-6R levels both in serum and CSF were observed. This fi nding suggests that IL-6 plays a role in the paranoid-hallucinatory sy mptomatology in schizophrenia. This can be understood regarding the in fluence of IL-6 to the catecholaminergic neurotransmission. The downre gulating effects of neuroleptic treatment to sIL-6R demonstrate that t he sIL-6R levels are decreased in the whole group of schizophrenic pat ients compared to controls.