Manifestations Of Schizophrenia Research Articles

From immune response to mental health: neutrophils in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a multifaceted psychiatric disorder with a complex etiology that includes genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. Emerging research has increasingly focused on the role of the immune system, particularly neutrophils, in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Neutrophils, the most abundant type of white blood cells, are crucial in the body’s defense mechanisms against infections and in the regulation of inflammation. This review explores the evolving evidence that implicates neutrophils in schizophrenia, highlighting their potential contribution to the disorder’s onset and progression through mechanisms such as neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Recent studies have demonstrated elevated neutrophil counts and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLR) in individuals with schizophrenia, correlating with the severity of psychotic symptoms and cognitive impairments. Furthermore, genetic and molecular analyses have revealed abnormalities in neutrophil function and immune-related gene expression in schizophrenia patients. These findings suggest that neutrophil dysfunction and the resulting chronic inflammation could play a significant role in the disorder’s pathophysiology, affecting neuronal function and contributing to the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia. Neutrophil-related biomarkers, such as NLR, could aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression. Additionally, targeting neutrophil activity and associated inflammatory pathways presents a promising avenue for developing new therapeutic interventions. This review underscores the need for further research to elucidate the precise mechanisms by which neutrophils influence schizophrenia and to explore potential treatments that could improve outcomes for patients.

Polygenic Risk Assessment for Schizophrenia in Patients with Nonpsychotic Disorders and Attenuated Symptoms of Psychosis: A Pilot Study

Background: significant contribution of genetic factors in the development of schizophrenia is a generally recognized fact. Polygenic risk index for schizophrenia turned out to be an effective tool allowing to draw a dividing line between schizophrenia and mentally healthy control in terms of genetics. Objective: to assess the predictive ability of the polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (SZ-PRS) in adolescent patients with a first depressive episode and attenuated psychotic symptoms (APS). Patients and Methods: sixty adolescent inpatient with a first depressive episode were examined. Based on the presence of APS at admission, patients were divided into two groups: a group with APS and a group without APS. Subgroups of patients in the first group were identified through follow-up observations: those with psychosis manifestation and/or low social functioning and those without manifestation and with high social functioning. Whole-genome genotyping was performed for all participants, and SZ-PRS were calculated. For comparison, a group of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (n = 879) and a group of mentally healthy individuals (n = 759), who had previously undergone whole-genome genotyping and had their SZ-PRS calculated, were used. Results: SZ-PRS of the APS group occupy an intermediate position between the healthy control and schizophrenia patients, significantly differing from each of them. The group without APS did not differ from the control group, but compared to the group of schizophrenia patients, the SZ-PRS in this group was significantly lower. Comparing subgroups of patients showed that the SZ-PRS in the APS group without psychosis manifestation and social functioning impairment was significantly lower than in the group with schizophrenia manifestation. The APS subgroups with psychosis manifestation and with functioning impairment did not differ significantly from each other or from the schizophrenia group. Conclusion: the results obtained for the first time for the russian population showed that SZ-PRS can be considered as a tool for assessing the risk of developing psychosis or reduced social functioning in patients with APS.

Asuhan Keperawatan Jiwa pada Ny. R Dengan Masalah Utama Risiko Perilaku Kekerasan Akibat Skizofrenia Tak Terinci di Ruang Arimbi RSJD dr. Amino Gondohutomo Provinsi Jawa Tengah

Schizophrenia is a syndrome with a variety of causes, where each patient exhibits different clinical manifestations, therapeutic responses, and disease progression. Clinical manifestations of schizophrenia include disorganized speech, restlessness, pacing, and aggression, often exhibited through violent behavior. According to WHO data, in 2019, approximately 24 million people worldwide suffered from schizophrenia (WHO, 2019). The purpose of this paper is to understand the nursing care process for Mrs. R, with the main issue being the risk of violent behavior due to unspecified schizophrenia. The writing method used is a descriptive case study through a nursing process approach, where the assessment is conducted using interview techniques, observation, documentation review, and literature study. The nursing diagnoses identified include the risk of violent behavior, self-concept disturbance: low self-esteem, and self-care deficit. The interventions developed involve implementing strategies for both the patient and the family. The evaluation of the nursing care for Mrs. R showed that the diagnosis of risk of violent behavior was partially resolved, and the self-care deficit was resolved.

Correlation between the features of cognitive activity and clinical manifestations of schizophrenia in patients who have committed socially dangerous acts

The commission of socially dangerous acts always sparks a public outcry, and special attention and close interest are noted when the perpetrator suffers from a mental disorder. As far as the mental disorders diagnosed in this group of individuals are concerned, schizophrenia ranks among the first, and the research of its complex clinical picture is a promising direction for studying the features of delinquent behavior. The relevance of the study lies in the investigation of the nature of cognitive activity and its relationship with the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia. The purpose of the work was to analyze cognitive activity in schizophrenia patients who committed socially dangerous acts and identify their relationship with clinical manifestations of schizophrenia. The study was performed on 22 examinees of the department of inpatient forensic psychiatric examination for persons in custody who committed socially dangerous acts against the health and life of an individual, and 26 patients who were being treated in a general psychiatric department. According to the criteria of ICD-10, all subjects were diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the stage of inpatient remission. In all participants of the experiment, the clinical picture of schizophrenia using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was assessed, and the analysis of cognitive activity by means of the method of discrimination of properties of concepts was carried out. It has been established that the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia are characterized by diversity, persistence, and independence from committed aggressive delicts, and the cognitive activity of such patients is characterized by pronounced subjectivity and moderate realism, which makes their behavior peculiar, rigid to external influence, and extremely persistent in relation to their own goals.

Implications of altered pyramidal cell morphology on clinical symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders.

The prevalence of pyramidal cells (PCs) in the mammalian cerebral cortex underscore their value as they play a crucial role in various brain functions, ranging from cognition, sensory processing, to motor output. PC morphology significantly influences brain connectivity and plays a critical role in maintaining normal brain function. Pathological alterations to PC morphology are thought to contribute to the aetiology of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia. This review explores the relationship between abnormalities in PC morphology in key cortical areas and the clinical manifestations in schizophrenia and ASD. We focus largely on human postmortem studies and provide evidence that dendritic segment length, complexity and spine density are differentially affected in these disorders. These morphological alterations can lead to disruptions in cortical connectivity, potentially contributing to the cognitive and behavioural deficits observed in these disorders. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of investigating the functional and structural characteristics of PCs in these disorders to illuminate the underlying pathogenesis and stimulate further research in this area.

Altered temporal lobe connectivity is associated with psychotic symptoms in drug-naïve adolescent patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

Research on individuals with a younger onset age of schizophrenia is important for identifying neurobiological processes derived from the interaction of genes and the environment that lead to the manifestation of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia has long been recognized as a disorder of dysconnectivity, but it is largely unknown how brain connectivity changes are associated with psychotic symptoms. Twenty-one adolescent-onset schizophrenia (AOS) patients and 21 matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) was used to investigate local brain connectivity alterations in AOS. Regions with significant ReHo changes in patients were selected as "seeds" for further functional connectivity (FC) analysis and Granger causality analysis (GCA), and associations of the obtained functional brain measures with psychotic symptoms in patients with AOS were examined. Compared with HCs, AOS patients showed significantly increased ReHo in the right middle temporal gyrus (MTG), which was positively correlated with PANSS-positive scores, PSYRATS-delusion scores and auditory hallucination scores. With the MTG as the seed, lower connectivity with the bilateral postcentral gyrus (PCG) and higher connectivity with the right precuneus were observed in patients. The reduced FC between the right MTG and bilateral PCG was significantly and positively correlated with hallucination scores. GCA indicated decreased Granger causality from the right MTG to the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and from the right MFG to the right MTG in AOS patients, but such effects did not significantly associate with psychotic symptoms. Abnormalities in the connectivity within the MTG and its connectivity with other networks were identified and were significantly correlated with hallucination and delusion ratings. This region may be a key neural substrate of psychotic symptoms in AOS.

Grey matter volume reduction in the frontotemporal cortex associated with persistent verbal auditory hallucinations in Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia: Insights from a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging study

BackgroundPersistent auditory verbal hallucinations (pAVHs) are a fundamental manifestation of schizophrenia (SCZ), yet the exact connection between pAVHs and brain structure remains contentious. This study aims to explore the potential correlation between pAVHs and alterations in grey matter volume (GMV) within specific brain regions among individuals diagnosed with SCZ. Methods76 SCZ patients with pAVHs (pAVH group), 57 SCZ patients without AVHs (non-AVH group), and 83 healthy controls (HC group) were investigated using 3 T magnetic resonance imaging. The P3 hallucination item of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale was used to assess the severity of pAVHs. Voxel-based morphometry was used to analyze the GMV profile between the three groups. ResultsCompared to the non-AVH and HC groups, the pAVH group exhibited extensive reduction in GMV within the frontotemporal cortex. Conversely, no significant difference in GMV was observed between the non-AVH and HC groups. The severity of pAVHs showed a negative correlation with GMV in several regions, including the right fusiform, right inferior temporal, right medial orbitofrontal, right superior frontal, and right temporal pole (p = 0.0036, Bonferroni correction). Stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that GMV in the right temporal pole (β = −0.29, p = 0.001) and right fusiform (β = −0.21, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with the severity of pAVHs. ConclusionsWidespread reduction in GMV is observed within the frontotemporal cortex, particularly involving the right temporal pole and right fusiform, which potentially contribute to the pathogenesis of pAVHs in individuals with chronic SCZ.

Emotional anticipation for dynamic emotional faces is not modulated by schizotypal traits: A Representational Momentum study.

Schizotypy, a personality structure that resembles schizophrenia symptoms, is often associated with abnormal facial emotion perception. Based on the prevailing sense of threat in psychotic experiences, and the immediate perceptual history of seeing others' facial expressions, individuals with high schizotypal traits may exhibit a heightened tendency to anticipate anger. To test this, we used insights from Representational Momentum (RM), a perceptual phenomenon in which the endpoint of a dynamic event is systematically displaced forward, into the immediate future. Angry-to-ambiguous and happy-to-ambiguous avatar faces were presented, each followed by a probe with the same (ambiguous) expression as the endpoint, or one slightly changed to express greater happiness/anger. Participants judged if the probe was "equal" to the endpoint and rated how confident they were. The sample was divided into high (N = 46) and low (N = 49) schizotypal traits using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). First, a forward bias was found in happy-to-ambiguous faces, suggesting emotional anticipation solely for dynamic faces changing towards a potential threat (anger). This may reflect an adaptative mechanism, as it is safer to anticipate any hostility from a conspecific than the opposite. Second, contrary to our hypothesis, high schizotypal traits did not heighten RM for happy-to-ambiguous faces, nor did they lead to overconfidence in biased judgements. This may suggest a typical pattern of emotional anticipation in non-clinical schizotypy, but caution is needed due to the use of self-report questionnaires, university students, and a modest sample size. Future studies should also investigate if the same holds for clinical manifestations of schizophrenia.

Tinjauan Skizofrenia Secara Psikoneuroimunologi

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric diagnosis that indicates a mental disorder characterized by abnormal perception or disturbances regarding reality. A number of abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia have been linked to the field of psychoneuroimmunology. Schizophrenia occurs due to various factors (multifactorial), including genetic factors, environment and neurological abnormalities. Psychologically, schizophrenia occurs due to a mismatch between affection, cognition and behavior. Neurologically, in schizophrenia there is overactivity of the dopaminergic system, in the main dopamine pathway, namely in the mesolimbic, mesocortex, nigrostriatal and tuberoinfundibular, as well as increased serotonergic activity. Meanwhile, immunologically, schizophrenia occurs due to changes in microglia activity which affects the immune response and an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines. The clinical manifestations of schizophrenia consist of 3 categories of symptoms, in the form of positive symptoms, negative symptoms and cognitive symptoms/interpersonal relationship disorders. Management of schizophrenia is carried out comprehensively with pharmacological antipsychotic treatment and psychosocial therapy which aims to improve quality of life and reduce morbidity and mortality of the disease.

The Pathogenesis and Remedial Treatment (and Management) of Schizophrenia

The pathogenesis of schizophrenia has been understood to commence with the intense painfulness of the young person’s early environments, as their representational world. This preconscious representation of their early environments can be experienced so adversely as to impinge on brain function, namely the level of the individual’s wellbeing as evaluated by the nucleus accumbens, which also evaluates wellbeing as a rewarding consequence of exposure to drugs of addiction. Involving connection with the A10 nucleus, which is arguably homeostatic like the homeostatic nuclei that surround it in the brainstem, the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex secrete excessive amounts of dopamine to counteract the individual’s dysphoria. This adversely affects the functioning of the prefrontal cortex, which leads to the common manifestations of schizophrenia. Successful treatment is directly aligned with its proposed pathogenesis. Palliative management can provide alleviation to a lesser extent of some aspects of the illness.

Low-frequency rTMS induces modifications in cortical structural connectivity - functional connectivity coupling in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations.

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are distinctive clinical manifestations of schizophrenia. While low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has demonstrated potential in mitigating AVH, the precise mechanisms by which it operates remain obscure. This study aimed to investigate alternations in structural connectivity and functional connectivity (SC-FC) coupling among schizophrenia patients with AVH prior to and following treatment with 1 Hz rTMS that specifically targets the left temporoparietal junction. Initially, patients exhibited significantly reduced macroscopic whole brain level SC-FC coupling compared to healthy controls. Notably, SC-FC coupling increased significantly across multiple networks, including the somatomotor, dorsal attention, ventral attention, frontoparietal control, and default mode networks, following rTMS treatment. Significant alternations in SC-FC coupling were noted in critical nodes comprising the somatomotor network and the default mode network, such as the precentral gyrus and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, respectively. The alternations in SC-FC coupling exhibited a correlation with the amelioration of clinical symptom. The results of our study illuminate the intricate relationship between white matter structures and neuronal activity in patients who are receiving low-frequency rTMS. This advances our understanding of the foundational mechanisms underlying rTMS treatment for AVH.

Research progress in mitochondrial quality control in schizophrenia.

Mitochondria are the main site of energy metabolism within cells, generating a substantial amount of ATP to supply energy to the human body. Research has shown that alterations in mitochondrial structure and function exist in individuals with schizophrenia, suggesting their potential impact on the onset of psychiatric disorders and clinical treatment efficacy. Therefore, understanding the research progress on the genetic mechanisms, pathological processes, image manifestations of schizophrenia and mitochondrial quality control, and summarizing the relevant evidence of mitochondrial-related targets as potential therapeutic targets for schizophrenia, can provide references for further research.

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (aspects of psychopathology and clinical taxonomy)

To create a new taxonomy of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) based on the comparability of the design of SSD and borderline states. The total sample consists of 205 patients with an established diagnosis of SSD (F21; F25; F22 according to ICD-10) collected from studies of the department of borderline mental pathology and psychosomatic disorders of the Federal State Budgetary Institution Mental Health Research Center and the Department of Psychiatry and Psychosomatics of Moscow State Medical University in the period 2014 to 2024. Clinical, psychometric, statistical methods were used. A new two-level model of schizotypal personality disorder (STPD) has been developed: the first level is psychopathic-like disorders of the «Ferschroben» type; the second level are psychopathological disorders (positive, negative, etc.), appearing under their «mask», constituting a «tracing paper» of manifestations of schizophrenia «in miniature». The two-level psychopathological model of STPD is a complex clinical phenotype, including independent but overlapping phenotypic formations: psychopathic-like - the «Ferschroben» type; and basic - schizophreniform disorders. The clinical classification of schizophrenia spectrum disorders has been developed; pseudoneuroses and stress-induced disorders of the endogenous circle are considered in the aspect of the dynamics of STPD.

Non-interventional epidemiological program for investigating the real-life practice of using quetiapine (Seroquel®) in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder (EPIDEMICUS)

The polymorphism of the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder (BD), late referral to the doctor, comorbidity with somatic diseases and the use of somatotropic medications by psychiatric patients, as well as the frequent development of adverse events (AEs), require constant analysis and improvement of the methods and means of psychopharmacotherapy.Objective: to study the characteristics of the use of quetiapine (Seroquel®) in real outpatient clinical practice.Material and methods. A patient was enrolled in the program if there was a need to prescribe quetiapine (Seroquel®) or to switch from the current therapy to quetiapine. During the program visit, the doctor filled in an individual registration card with information about patient and therapy. The data were statistically analyzed.Results. Quetiapine is prescribed by practicing psychiatrists in Russia not only according to the official indications, but also for psychopathological disorders of other nosology with similar clinical manifestations, such as dementia, organic and affective (depressive episode, recurrent depressive disorder), as well as psychogenic disorders. Up to 27.3% of physicians consider the effect of quetiapine to be quite sufficient in a mixed affective state within the framework of BD dynamics. Quetiapine is used by physicians to treat patients with varying duration of mental disorder (mean 5.1–13.5 years), severity of current mental state (mean CGI-S score 4.3–4.97) and a wide age range (mean age 34.5–60.8 years). When prescribing quetiapine, physicians note that the drug has antidepressant, anxiolytic, sedative and hypnotic effects, regardless of the type of mental disorder. Quetiapine is mainly prescribed as a monotherapy, either primary or resumed after a break – 815 (64.5%) observations. At the same time, quetiapine is used significantly more frequently as monotherapy for BD (69.4%) and mental illnesses of other origin (64.7%) than for schizophrenia (53.8%; p <0.005).Conclusion. In real clinical practice, quetiapine is perceived by psychiatrists as a highly effective and well-tolerated antipsychotic with a broad spectrum of activity that goes beyond the official indications. The practical experience of physicians in Russia shows that in addition to sedative, antipsychotic, antimanic and antidepressant effects, the drug also has antinegative, procognitive, anxiolytic, antiresistant and mood-stabilizing properties.

Relationship between blood-based inflammatory indices and clinical score of schizophrenia patients: A cross-sectional study

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that may involve inflammation. Inflammatory indices, such as the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), the platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and the systemic inflammation index (SII), are simple and inexpensive measures of inflammation that have been associated with various diseases. However, few studies have compared these indices and their relationships with clinical symptoms in schizophrenia. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 121 schizophrenia patients (101 males, 20 females). We measured the blood-based inflammatory indices (NLR, MLR, PLR, and SII) and assessed the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Statistical analyses were performed to examine the correlations and effects of the inflammatory indices on PANSS scores. We found that NLR, MLR, PLR, and SII were positively correlated with PANSS total score, PANSS positive score, PANSS negative score, and general psychopathology score (adjusted P < 0.02 for all correlations). Subgroup analysis showed that correlations between inflammatory indices and the clinical scores differed by gender. In males, all inflammatory indices were positively correlated with all clinical scores. On the other hand, in females, only NLR and SII were positively correlated with all clinical scores. After adjusting for confounders, we also found that NLR was a predictor of PANSS total score (β = 23, adjusted P < 0.02), PANSS positive score (β = 2.6, adjusted P = 0.03), PANSS negative score (β = 6.8, adjusted P < 0.02), and PANSS general psychopathology score (β = 13.6, adjusted P < 0.02), while SII was only a predictor for PANSS total score (β = −0.00003, adjusted P = 0.01) and general psychopathology scores (β = −0.00002, adjusted P < 0.02). These findings suggest that inflammation is involved in the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of schizophrenia, and that blood-based inflammatory indices may serve as screening tools or indicators for the inflammatory status and severity of symptoms of schizophrenia patients.

Functional Nutrition as Integrated Intervention for In- and Outpatient with Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a chronic and progressive disorder characterized by cognitive, emotional, and behavioral abnormalities associated with neuronal development and synaptic plasticity alterations. Genetic and epigenetic abnormalities in cortical parvalbumin-positive GABAergic interneurons and consequent alterations in glutamate-mediated excitatory neurotransmission during early neurodevelopment underlie schizophrenia manifestation and progression. Also, epigenetic alterations during pregnancy or early phases of postnatal life are associated with schizophrenia vulnerability and inflammatory processes, which are at the basis of brain pathology and a higher risk of comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome. In addition, schizophrenia patients adopt an unhealthy lifestyle and poor nutrition, leading to premature death. Here, I explored the role of functional nutrition as an integrated intervention for the long-term management of patients with schizophrenia. Several natural bioactive compounds in plant-based whole foods, including flavonoids, phytonutrients, vitamins, fatty acids, and minerals, modulate brain functioning by targeting neuroinflammation and improving cognitive decline. Although further clinical studies are needed, a functional diet rich in natural bioactive compounds might be effective in synergism with standard treatments to improve schizophrenia symptoms and reduce the risk of comorbidities.

Assessment of interrelationships between cognitive performance, symptomatic manifestation and social functioning in the acute and clinical stability phase of schizophrenia: insights from a network analysis

BackgroundIt has been shown that various aspects of clinical manifestation of schizophrenia are strongly related to social functioning. However, it remains unknown as to whether similar factors predict social functioning at various stages of psychosis. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the effects of interconnections between various domains of psychopathology and neurocognition on social functioning in people during acute phase of psychosis and those during remission of positive and disorganization symptoms using a network analysis.MethodsTwo independent samples of individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were enrolled (89 inpatients during acute phase and 90 outpatients during remission of positive and disorganization symptoms). Clinical assessment covered the levels of functioning, positive, negative and depressive symptoms. Cognition was recorded using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Data were analyzed by means of the network analysis. Two separate networks of clinical symptoms, social functioning, and cognition (i.e., in patients during acute phase of psychosis and remitted outpatients with schizophrenia) were analyzed and compared with respect to the measures of centrality (betweenness, closeness, strength, and expected influence) and edge weights.ResultsIn both networks, the majority of centrality metrics (expected influence, strength, and closeness) had the highest values for the RBANS scores of attention (the sum of scores from two tasks, i.e., digit span and coding) and immediate memory. In both networks, social functioning was directly connected to positive, negative and depressive symptoms as well as the RBANS scores of attention and language. Additionally, in remitted patients, social functioning was directly connected to the RBANS score of immediate memory.ConclusionsFindings from the present study indicate the central role of cognitive deficits, especially those related to attention, processing speed, working and immediate memory in shaping functional impairments regardless of schizophrenia phase. Therapeutic interventions that aim to improve functional capacity need to target these domains of neurocognitive performance.

Cognitive-perceptual traits associated with autism and schizotypy influence use of physics during predictive visual tracking.

Schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can disrupt cognition and consequently behaviour. Traits of ASD and the subclinical manifestation of schizophrenia called schizotypy have been studied in healthy populations with overlap found in trait profiles linking ASD social deficits to negative schizotypy and ASD attention to detail to positive schizotypy. Here, we probed the relationship between subtrait profiles, cognition and behaviour, using a predictive tracking task to measure individuals' eye movements under three gravity conditions. A total of 48 healthy participants tracked an on-screen projected ball under familiar gravity, inverted upward acceleration (against gravity) and horizontal gravity control conditions while eye movements were recorded and dynamic performance quantified. Participants completed ASD and schizotypy inventories generating highly correlated scores, r = 0.73. All tracked best under the gravity condition, producing anticipatory downward responses from stimulus onset which were delayed under upward inverted gravity. Tracking performance was not associated with overall ASD or schizotypy trait levels. Combining measures using principal components analysis (PCA), we decomposed the inventories into subtraits unveiling interesting patterns. Positive schizotypy was associated with ASD dimensions of rigidity, odd behaviour and face processing, which all linked to anticipatory tracking responses under inverted gravity. In contrast, negative schizotypy was associated with ASD dimensions of social interactions and rigidity and to early stimulus-driven tracking under gravity. There was also substantial nonspecific overlap between ASD and schizotypy dissociated from tracking. Our work links positive-odd traits with anticipatory tracking when physics rules are violated and negative-social traits with exploitation of physics laws of motion.

Anomalies of Energy Metabolism in Schizophrenia and Possible Pathogenetic-Targeted Therapeutic Approaches

Coordinated regulation of energy conversion processes in the brain maintains its highly productive work and efficient mental activity. Impairments of the brain energy metabolism are considered among pathogenetic factors in the schizophrenia origin, but presently it is difficult to say whether these impairments are primary and causative the development of the disease or represent consequences of certain changes in the functioning of neurotransmitter and other neurochemical systems. This review discusses the main results of the energy metabolism research in schizophrenia – at various levels and using different approaches, as well as regards some attempts of influencing the energy processes in the brain as an adjunctive therapy in schizophrenia. To date, the efficacy of these therapeutic approaches has not been proven, this may be due to the paucity of studies and the lack of preliminary identification/stratification of patient subgroups to whom the energy metabolism-targeted therapy would be the most useful. Based on the data presented, one can conclude that an analysis is necessary of relationships between the psychopathological manifestations of schizophrenia and energy metabolism deviations for further identification of those patients to whom the use of mitochondrial modulators, mitoprotection, and other approaches may represent a promising method of adjunctive therapy.

Clinical and anamnestic characteristics of patients with negative symptoms in schizophrenia

252 patients with negative symptoms of schizophrenia and 79 patients with positive symptoms of schizophrenia were examined. A comprehensive approach was used, consisting of a combination of clinical and anamnestic, clinical and psychopathological and statistical research methods. The assessment of clinical and psychopathological features in patients with schizophrenia included the analysis of the distribution of patients according to the severity of forms, type and manifestations of schizophrenia, duration and progressivity of the disease and episodes, number of relapses, hospitalizations and features of leading symptom complexes. Features of the clinical picture of patients with negative and positive symptoms in schizophrenia were determined, which can use as diagnostic criteria for differential diagnosis and selection of treatment strategies for patients with schizophrenia Key words: negative symptoms, positive symptoms, schizophrenia, clinical characteristics, clinical and anamnestic analysis