Abstract
Experimental findings from psychoimmunologic research in humans and epidemiological data suggest that alterations in cytokine networks may induce acute psychopathologic symptoms and may be involved in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of schizophrenia by influencing brain development. However, there is insufficient evidence from genetic, post-mortem, and cerebrospinal fluid studies to demonstrate this in the CNS of schizophrenic patients. In contrast, there are quite robust findings from peripheral blood that interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interferon cytokine systems in patients are regulated differently than in controls. However, these findings are not specific to schizophrenia, they are confounded by numerous intervening variables such as stress, smoking, and medication, and their pathophysiologic relevance for processes in the CNS is undetermined. Therefore, future research on the involvement of cytokines in the pathogenetics, pathophysiology, and treatment of schizophrenia is needed.
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