There is considerable evidence suggesting that some aspects of schizophrenia are related to immunological alterations. Examining immunological changes in schizophrenia has been a major theme of the Neuropsychiatry branch for many years. To further explore this possible relationship, we began examining a cohort of individuals born about thirty years ago; these individuals' mothers were carefully monitored throughout their pregnancies. Additionally, maternal serum was saved from each of the three trimesters. During the last year, we successfully completed feasibility studies demonstrating that there should be sufficient statistical power to determine if immunological adversities during pregnancy are a risk factor for developing schizophrenia later. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the frozen serum from these individuals can be studied. We are also attempting to determine whether there are immunological alterations on the surface of lymphocytes in patients with schizophrenia. Initial studies have found such abnormalities. It remains to be determined whether these changes are part of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, or are secondary to some aspect of being schizophrenic.
