Failure to find interference between anti-HLA antibodies and chlorpromazine

Left-handed first-episode, neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients have a higher prevalence of autoantibodies

Using standard immunological techniques, sera from first-episode, neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients (n = 51) and age, race and sex matched healthy controls (n = 51) were screened for seven common autoantibodies. Significantly more left-handed (67%) than right-handed (23%) schizophrenic patients had autoantibodies (p = 0.011). Left-handed schizophrenic patients were six times more likely than right-handed patients or controls and four times more likely than left-handed controls to test positive for autoantibodies (p = 0.012). These data suggest that disease and sinistrality contribute to the excess of autoantibodies in schizophrenia.

HLA antigens in schizophrenia

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing was performed on 55 white schizophrenic patients, who were subdivided into groups on the basis of clinical subtype, response to neuroleptic treatment, enlargement of the lateral ventricles, presence of increased prefrontal or parieto-occipital markings, and presence of reversed frontal or occipital lobe asymmetry. No observed differences in antigen frequencies between the group as a whole and controls or between any subgroup and the remaining group or controls remained significant after correction for the number of antigens tested.