CELLULAR-IMMUNITY, HLA-CLASS-I ANTIGENS, AND FAMILY HISTORY OF PSYCHIATRIC-DISORDER IN ENDOGENOUS PSYCHOSES

We found an increased lymphocyte proliferation after stimulation with an antigen ''cocktail'' in 49 schizophrenic patients and 37 patients s uffering from affective psychosis, compared with 45 healthy control su bjects. On the basis of this and other findings such as increased numb ers of CD3+ and CD4+ cells, an increased ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells, and a reduced level of suppressor cell activity in schizophrenia and endo genous depression, we investigated the influence of the human leukocyt e antigen-Class I (HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C) system on the altered immune f unction and evaluated the relationship to immune function of a family history of psychiatric disorders. A cluster analysis of cases with reg ard to the HLA-Class I antigens was first performed in a group of 133 healthy control subjects, and two immunogenetically different clusters were found; then 86 patients (49 schizophrenics, 37 affective psychos es) for whom immune functional data were available were assigned to th e two HLA-I clusters that had been determined in the control subjects. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) showed no differences in immune functio n between the two clusters. With respect to the cluster assignment and the family history of psychiatric diseases, a two-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in the lymphocyte response to the antigen cock tail, in the number of CD8+ cells, and in one suppressor cell assay. W hen patients were compared by ANOVA on the basis of family history of psychiatric disorder, patients with a positive family history showed a significantly higher number of CD4+ cells and a higher CD4+/CD8+ rati o. Moreover, certain HLA genes, especially HLA-A1, HLA-B8, HLA-B16, an d HLA-C2 seemed to be related to the immune function and/or to the imm une function and the family history.