Intrathecal therapy with trastuzumab may be beneficial in cases of refractory schizophrenia

Abstract

Refractory schizophrenia has limited therapeutic options. Schizophrenia can be considered to be a disease of abnormal synaptic plasticity. Neuregulin is a member of the epithelial growth factor family, which induces growth and differentiation of epithelial, glial and muscle cells in culture. Neuregulin has been documented to be important in synaptic plasticity. The important role of neuregulin in synaptic plasticity as well as its developmental role have increasingly been documented recently. The actions of neuregulin are mediated through ERB receptors. Neuregulin can bind directly to erbB3 and erbB4 receptors and receptor heterodimerization allows neuregulin dependent activation of erbB2. The role of Erb 2 could make it possible to use the monoclonal antibody against it for improving the synaptic plasticity through the action on neuregulin. The use of trastuzumab (Her2 antibody) as targeted therapy is well documented in metastatic carcinoma of breast. Also intra-thecal administration of trastuzumab has been reported to be safe in carcinomatous meningitis. Here it is being hypothesized that intra-thecal administration of trastuzumab would improve synaptic plasticity there by making refractory schizophrenia amenable to treatment.