Abstract
BackgroundDespite inconsistent findings, accumulative evidence has shown abnormalities of the key antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD), in patients with schizophrenia. However, few studies explored SOD in late-life schizophrenia (LLS). Our work aimed to investigate changes in SOD activity and the relationship between SOD activity and psychotic symptoms or cognitive deficits in LLS.Methods32 geriatric male patients with schizophrenia (age ≥ 60) and 28 age-matched male normal controls were recruited in the study. We assessed cognitive functions with the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), evaluated the severity of clinical symptoms with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and measured the plasma levels of SOD.ResultsPatients with LLS presented with higher total levels of SOD compared to the controls (81.70 vs. 65.26 U/ml, p < .001). Except for the visuospatial index, the cognitive performance was significantly worse on RBANS total and other domain scores in the schizophrenia group than the control group. In the schizophrenia group, SOD levels were positively correlated with subscores of general psychopathology and negative symptoms and total scores of the PANSS (all p < .05), and inversely associated with performance in immediate memory, language, and RBANS total scores (all p < .05).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that patients with LLS display disturbances in the antioxidant system, which may underlie the pathological process of cognitive impairments and negative symptoms in the late stage of schizophrenia. Supplementing with antioxidants could be a potential treatment.
Highlights
Despite inconsistent findings, accumulative evidence has shown abnormalities of the key antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD), in patients with schizophrenia
Plasma SOD activity in late-life schizophrenia (LLS) and healthy older controls We found significant group differences in the levels of total SOD (F = 50.84, p < .001) and CuZn-SOD (F = 10.75, p = .002)
CuZn-SOD, but not Mn-SOD, were significantly elevated in patients with LLS in comparison with the normal control group; (2) LLS patients had lower RBANS scores than the normal controls on cognitive performance in all domains except for the visuospatial and attention ability; (3) the levels of total SOD were positively correlated with the severity of negative symptoms and general psychopathology and the total Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score in LLS patients; (4) the levels of total SOD were reversely correlated with immediate memory, language, and the global composite score of RBANS in LLS patients
Summary
Accumulative evidence has shown abnormalities of the key antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD), in patients with schizophrenia. Few studies explored SOD in late-life schizophrenia (LLS). Our work aimed to investigate changes in SOD activity and the relationship between SOD activity and psychotic symptoms or cognitive deficits in LLS. Schizophrenia is widely recognized as a lifelong psychiatric disorder characterized by three clinical features, i.e., positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive. Cognitive deficits begin at the earliest stage of the illness, as early as ten years preceding the onset of psychotic symptoms [1,2,3]. There is increasing evidence that cognitive impairment is one crucial feature leading to poor functional outcome and prognosis [4]. Cognitive deficits are prevalent among LLS patients, involving global cognition and extensively specific domains, such as executive functions, memory, and language [7, 8]. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying cognitive deficits are unclear, resulting in a lack of effective treatment for such deficits
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