Abnormal C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders. Results from the FACE-SZ dataset

Correlation between C-reactive Protein Levels with Cognitive Function and Body Mass Index in Schizophrenia

AIM: The objectives of the study were to determine the correlation between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels with cognitive function and body mass index (BMI) in a patient with schizophrenia. METHODS: This is a numerical correlative analytic study with a cross-sectional approach by means of nonprobability sampling with consecutive sampling with inclusion and exclusion criteria from August 2019 to November 2019 in the Prof. Dr. M. Ildrem Psychiatric Hospital in Province of North Sumatra after getting approval from the Research Ethics Committee at the Faculty of Medicine, University of North Sumatra. RESULTS: There is a very strong correlation in which Pearson correlation test between the high-sensitivity CRP (HsCRP) value with BMI and the Montreal cognitive assessment Versi Indonesia score in schizophrenic patients with a correlation coefficient value of r = 0.951 and r = –0.743, respectively, with a very strong correlation (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Increased pro-inflammatory activity, especially HsCRP may cause impaired cognitive function in people with schizophrenia.

Modulating Neuroinflammation to Treat Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Neuroinflammation is recognised as one of the potential mechanisms mediating the onset of a broad range of psychiatric disorders and may contribute to nonresponsiveness to current therapies. Both preclinical and clinical studies have indicated that aberrant inflammatory responses can result in altered behavioral responses and cognitive deficits. In this review, we discuss the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders and ask the question if certain genetic copy-number variants (CNVs) associated with psychiatric disorders might play a role in modulating inflammation. Furthermore, we detail some of the potential treatment strategies for psychiatric disorders that may operate by altering inflammatory responses.

Chronic Peripheral Inflammation is Associated With Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia: Results From the Multicentric FACE-SZ Dataset

OBJECTIVES

Inflammation, measured by abnormal blood C-reactive protein (CRP) level, has been described in schizophrenia (SZ), being inconsistently related to impaired cognitive functions. The aim of the present study is to investigate cognitive impairment associated with abnormal CRP levels in a large multi-centric sample of community-dwelling SZ patients, using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery.

METHOD

Three hundred sixty-nine community-dwelling stable SZ subjects (76.2% men, mean age 32.7 y) were included and tested with a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests. Abnormal CRP level was defined as >3mg/L.

RESULTS

Multiple factor analysis revealed that abnormal CRP levels, found in 104 patients (28.2%), were associated with impaired General Intellectual Ability and Abstract Reasoning (aOR = 0.56, 95% CI 0.35-0.90, P = .014), independently of age, sex, education level, psychotic symptomatology, treatments, and addiction comorbidities. Abnormal CRP levels were also associated with the decline of all components of working memory (respectively effect size [ES] = 0.25, P = .033; ES = 0.27, P = .04; ES = 0.33, P = .006; and ES = 0.38, P = .004) and a wide range of other impaired cognitive functions, including memory (ES = 0.26, P = .026), learning abilities (ES = 0.28, P = .035), semantic memory (ES = 0.26, P = .026), mental flexibility (ES = 0.26, P = .044), visual attention (ES = 0.23, P = .004) and speed of processing (ES = 0.23, P = .043).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that abnormal CRP level is associated with cognitive impairment in SZ. Evaluating the effectiveness of neuroprotective anti-inflammatory strategies is needed in order to prevent cognitive impairment in SZ.