What does schizophrenia smell like
Biomarker of schizophrenia found in hair
Maria Azarova, Naked Science
Specialists of the RIKEN Brain Research Center (Japan) found that abnormally high levels of the Mpst enzyme in the brain, which produces hydrogen sulfide, are associated with schizophrenia. The article "Excess production of hydrogen sulfide and polysulfides underlies the pathophysiology of schizophrenia" was published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine (Ide et al., Excess hydrogen sulfide and polysulfides production underlies a schizophrenia pathophysiology).
The best way to diagnose a condition is to use a reliable biomarker. The most objective marker for schizophrenia is testing the reaction to fright. Normally, we are not afraid, for example, of a loud clap, if it is preceded by a less powerful sound: doctors call this pre-pulse inhibition (PPI), and patients with schizophrenia do not have a weakened reaction to fright after a preliminary signal, that is, their PPI indicators are reduced.
The RIKEN team decided to study the differences in protein expression in mice with very low and high PPI. They found that one protein (Mpst) was expressed more in the brains of mice with low PPI than in rodents with high PPI. Knowing that this enzyme is involved in the synthesis of hydrogen sulfide, the scientists measured the concentration of this compound in the hair of mice with low PPI. As a result, experts found elevated levels of the enzyme.
"No one has ever suspected a causal relationship between hydrogen sulfide and schizophrenia," said Takeo Yoshikawa, head of the study. "As soon as we discovered this, we decided to find out how it happens and whether similar results in mice can be transferred to people with schizophrenia."
At the second stage of the experiments, Japanese researchers found that Mpst expression was higher in the brains of deceased people suffering from schizophrenia compared to healthy participants in the experiment. Moreover, Mpst levels correlated well with the severity of symptoms experienced by patients.
To confirm the findings, the team examined the hair follicles of 150 people suffering from schizophrenia. The results were unambiguous: all subjects had higher levels of the Mpst enzyme than absolutely healthy people.
Despite the fact that the findings of the study cannot be correlated with all types of schizophrenia, Mpst indicators in hair can become a reliable biomarker of the disease, thanks to which it can be tracked even before the other symptoms manifest. At the same time, according to scientists, the main cause of high levels of the enzyme may be an inflammatory process in the brain, which the patient suffered at an early age, and subsequent changes in DNA.
"We found that antioxidant markers, including hydrogen sulfide production, which compensate for stress and inflammation during brain development, correlated with Mpst levels in the brains of people with schizophrenia. <...> Our results provide a new path for drug development," Yoshikawa summed up.
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