ALTERATION OF THE LEVEL OF AUTOANTIBODIES TO NERVE GROWTH-FACTOR IN BLOOD-SERUM OF PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

A study was made of 54 patients with different forms of schizophrenia: paranoid (8), shift-like (30), slow-progredient (16). According to IC D-10 the rubrics were:F20.00 and F20.01; F20.22 and F20.02; F21 respec tively. Elevation of the level of autoantibodies (aAB) to nerve growth factor (NGF) 1,5-fold was registered in blood serum of schizophrenic patients by means of enzyme immunoassay as compared with 70 healthy co ntrols. The dependence of aAB level upon the stage of the disease deve lopment was found: in the active phase there was a significant increas e of aAB level as compared with the patients in remission (1,38+/-0,26 and 0,92+/-0,25 units of optical density, respectively). There were n o differences in respect of different forms of disease. The authors su ggest to use aAB level as the index of the disease activity.