ELEVATED PLA(2) ACTIVITY IN SCHIZOPHRENICS AND OTHER PSYCHIATRIC-PATIENTS

We measured serum phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity in 39 schizophrenic s, 26 psychiatric controls, and 26 normal controls using a radioenzyma tic assay with phosphatidylcholine as precursor. Serum PLA2 activity w as significantly higher in schizophrenics (p = 0.002) and other psychi atric (including substance abusing) patients (p = 0.032) than in norma l controls. Enzyme activity did not differ between the schizophrenic p atients and psychiatric controls. Fifty-one percent of the schizophren ics and 46% of psychiatric controls had PLA2 values above the highest value for normal controls. In the psychiatric control group higher tha n normal PLA2 activities were observed in all diagnostic categories, i ncluding major depression, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress diso rder (PTSD), and substance abuse. In the context of others' findings o f increased circulating PLA2 in infectious and inflammatory conditions , these increases must be viewed as disease nonspecific. The significa nce of these changes and their relationship to other acute-phase prote in changes needs to be clarified in future research.