Retroviral RNA identified in the cerebrospinal fluids and brains of individuals with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious brain disease of uncertain etiology, A role for retroviruses in the etiopathogenesis of some cases of schizophrenia has bee n postulated on the basis of clinical and epidemiological observations. We found sequences homologous to retroviral pol genes in the cell-free cerebro spinal fluids (CSFs) of 10 of 35 (29%) individuals with recent-onset schizo phrenia or schizoaffective disorder, Retroviral sequences also were identif ied in the CSFs of 1 of 20 individuals with chronic schizophrenia, However, retroviral sequences were not identified in any of the CSFs obtained from 22 individuals with noninflammatory neurological diseases or from 30 indivi duals without evidence of neurological or psychiatric diseases (chi (2) = 1 9.25, P < 0.001), The nucleotide sequences identified in the CSFs of the in dividuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were related to th ose of the human endogenous retroviral (HERV)-W family of endogenous retrov iruses and to other retroviruses in the murine leukemia virus genus. Transc ription of RNA homologous to members of the HERV-W family of retroviruses a lso was found to be up-regulated differentially in the frontal cortex regio ns of brains obtained postmortem from individuals with schizophrenia, as co mpared with corresponding tissue from individuals without psychiatric disea ses, The transcriptional activation of certain retroviral elements within t he central nervous system may be associated with the development of schizop hrenia in at least some individuals. The further characterization of retrov iral elements within the central nervous system of individuals with schizop hrenia might lead to improved methods for the diagnosis and management of t his disorder.