Skip to main content
Log in

Natural killer cell function in adolescent and adult schizophrenic patients

  • Published:
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The following study on natural immunology in schizophrenic patients aims at elucidating differential effects of psychopathological status and neuroleptic treatment. Natural killer (NK-) cell activity and antibody dependent cellular cytotoxity (ADCC) were tested in 24 adolescent schizophrenic patients and compared to 27 adult schizophrenics and healthy controls. Twelve adolescent patients were tested before and after 2 weeks on neuroleptic treatment. Age or psychopathological status did not have a significant impact on NK-activity or ADCC. There were no significant general effects resulting from neuroleptic treatment on NK-activity detectable in patients tested before and during treatment. However, there was a significant negative correlation between the differences of NK-activity (before and during treatment) and the NK-activity before treatment.

Résumé

L'étude suivante sur l'immunologie naturelle chez les patients schizophrènes a pour but d'élucider les effets différentiels de l'état psychopathologique et des “Natural Killer” (NK) et la cytotoxicité cellulaire anti-corps dépendant (ADCC) furent testés chez 24 adolescents schizophrènes et comparés à 27 adultes schizophrènes ainsi qu'à un groupe de contrôle. 12 patients adolescents furent testés avant et après 2 semaines de traitement neuroleptique. L'âge et le statut psychopathologique n'avaient pas d'impact significatif sur NK-activité ou l'ADCC. Il n'y a eu aucun effet significatif en général résultant d'un traitement neuroleptique sur NK-activité détectable chez des patients testés avant et pendant le traitement. Cependant il y eut une corrélation négative significative entre les différences de NK-activité (avant et pendant le traitement) et NK-activité avant le traitement.

Zusammenfassung

Die vorliegende Studie soll differentielle Effekte von Psychopathologie und neuroleptischer Medikation auf Parameter der Natural Killer-(NK)Zellfunktion untersuchen. 24 adoleszente und 27 erwachsene Patienten mit Psychosen aus dem schizophrenen Formenkreis wurden altersentsprechenden gesunden Kontrollgruppen gegenübergestellt. Als immunologische Testsysteme fungierten die “Natural Killer” (NK-)Aktivität und die “antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity” (ADCC). 12 adoleszente Patienten wurden zweimal (vor und zwei Wochen nach Therapiebeginn mit Neuroleptika) immunologisch untersucht. Das Lebensalter und der psychopathologische Schweregrad zeigten keinen signifikanten Zusammenhang mit den immunologischen Daten. An den 12 Patienten mit Test-Retest-Design konnten keine unidirektionellen Effekte der Neuroleptikamedikation auf die Natural Killer-Zellfunktion statistisch nachgewiesen werden. Es fand sich aber eine signifikant negative Korrelation zwischen den Veränderungen der NK-Werte und den NK-Ausgangswerten vor Therapiebeginn. Dieser Zusammenhang wird im Lichte der Streß-Hypothese (einer differentiellen Beeinflussung des Immunsystems durch Streß und Coping) als möglicher Hinweis auf eine streßverringernde neuroleptische Wirkungskomponente diskutiert.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baker, G.A., Sautalo, R. & Blumenstein, J. (1977). Effect of psychotropic agents upon the blastogenic response of human T lymphocytes.Biological Psychiatry, 12, 159–169.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ciompi, L. (1982).Affektlogik. Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta.

    Google Scholar 

  • De-Lisi, L.E. (1986). Neuroimmunology: Clinical studies of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. In H.A. Nasrallah & D.R. Weinberger (Eds.),The Neurology of Schizophrenia. Vol. 1: Handbook of Schizophrenia (pp. 377–396). Amsterdam, New York: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • De-Lisi, L.E. (1987). Viral and immune hypotheses for schizophrenia. In H.Y. Meltzer (Ed.),Psychopharmacology: The Third Generation of Progress (pp. 765–771). New York: Raven Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dorian, B. & Garfinkel, P.E. (1987). Stress, immunity and illness.Psychological Medicine, 17, 393–407.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Driscoll, J.S., Malnick, N.R., Quinn, F.R., Lomax, N., Davignon, J.P., Ing, R., Abbot, B.J., Congleton, G. & Dudeck, L. (1978). Psychotropic drugs as potential antitumor agents: A selective screening study.Cancer Treatment Report, 62, 45–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganguli, R., Rabin, B.S., Kelly, R.H., Lyte, M. & Ragu, U. (1987). Clinical and laboratory evidence of autoimmunity in acute schizophrenia.Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 496, 676–685.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerbikov, O.V. (1961). Immunological reactivity in schizophrenia as influenced by some modern drugs.Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 92, 1098–1105.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, D.J. & Cooper, S.J. (1989). Viruses, immunity and mental disorder.British Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 1–7.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Locke, S.E., Kraus, L., Leserman, J., Hurst, M.W., Heisel, J.S. & Williams, W.R. (1984). Life change stress, psychiatric symptoms and natural killer cell activity.Psychosomatic Medicine, 46, 441–453.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mortensen, P.B. (1987). Neuroleptic treatment and other factors modifying cancer risk in schizophrenic patients.Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 75, 585–590.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O'Donnel, M., Silove, D. & Wakefild, D. (1988). Current perspectives on immunology and psychiatry.Australian/New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 22, 366–382.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pamukcu, A.M., Wattenberg, L.W., Price, J.M. & Bryan, G.T. (1971). Phenothiazine inhibition of intestinal and urinary bladder tumors induced in rats by bracken fern.Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 47, 155–159.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Resch, F., Aschauer, H., Urch, A., Schönbeck, G., Aschauer-Treiber, G., Müller, C. & Zielinski, C. (1988). Funktion lytischer Effektorzellen bei schizophrenen Patienten.Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift, 100, 404–407.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schindler, L., Leroux, M., Beck, J., Moises, H.W. & Kirchner, H. (1987). Studies of cellular immunity of serum interferon titers and of natural killer cell activity in schizophrenic patients.Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 72, 45–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Torrey, E.F. & Kaufmann, C.A. (1986). Schizophrenia and neuroviruses. In H.A. Nasrallah & D.R. Weinberger (Eds.),The Neurology of Schizophrenia. Vol. 1: Handbook of Schizophrenia (pp. 361–376). Amsterdam, New York: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vartanian, M.E., Kolyaskina, G.I., Lozofsky, D.V., Burbaeva, G.S. & Ignatov, S.A. (1978). Aspects of humoral and cellular immunity in Schizophrenia. In D. Bergsma & A.I. Goldstein (Eds.),Neurochemical and Immunological Components of Schizophrenia (pp. 339–354). New York: Liss.

    Google Scholar 

  • Villemain, F., Chatenoud, L., Galinowski, A., Homo-Delarche, F., Ginstet, D., Loo, H., Zarifian, E. & Bach, J.F. (1989). Aberrant T-cell mediated immunity in untreated schizophrenic patients: Deficient interleukin 2 production.American Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 609–616.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whiteside, T.L. & Herberman, R.B. (1989). The role of natural killer cells in human disease.Clinical Immunology and Immunpathology, 53, 1–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wunderlich, V. & Sydow, G. (1980). Lytic action of neurotropic drugs on retroviruses in vitro.European Journal of Cancer, 16, 1127–1132.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wunderlich, V., Fey, F. & Sydow, G. (1980). Antiviral effect of haloperidol on Rauscher murine leukemia virus.Archiv für Geschwulstforschung, 50, 758–762.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zarrabi, M.H., Zucker, S., Miller, F., Derman, R.M., Romano, G.S., Harnett, J.A. & Varma, A.O. (1979). Immunologic and coagulation disorders in chlorpromazine treated patients.Annals of Internal Medicine, 91, 194–199.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zielinski, C.C., Gisinger, C., Binder, C., Mannhalter, J.W. & Eibl, M.M. (1987). Regulation of NK cell activity by prostaglandin E2: The role of T-Cells.Cell Immunology, 87, 65–72.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Resch, F., Amminger, G.P., Aschauer, H. et al. Natural killer cell function in adolescent and adult schizophrenic patients. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2, 155–160 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02125570

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02125570

Keywords

Navigation