Neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio and psychosis in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome – Clinical and scientific implications

Ehud Mekori-Domachevsky, Michal Taler, Ronnie Weinberger, Yael Guri, Shira Dar, Shachar Shani, Idit Dekel, Abraham Weizman, Doron Gothelf

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) are at risk for having both psychotic and immune disorders, thus, implying a possible link between the two. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the usefulness of the neutrophiles to leukocytes ratio (NLR), an inflammatory marker, as a bio-marker for overt and prodromal psychotic symptoms in 22q11.2DS. Methods: Forty-nine individuals with 22q11.2DS (13 with psychotic disorders and 36 without psychotic disorders) and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent psychiatric evaluation using a structured psychiatric interview, the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms (SOPS) and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale. Blood samples were collected from all participants on the day of assessment. NLR was calculated, compared among the study groups and correlated with SOPS and GAF scores. The non-psychotic 22q11.2DS group was further divided into high- and low-inflammation groups by NLR values and the analyses were done again. Results: NLR was higher in the psychotic- and the high-inflammation non-psychotic 22q11.2DS groups compared to the low-inflammation non-psychotic 22q11.2DS group and controls. In the high-inflammation non-psychotic 22q11.2DS group NLR increase was associated with an increase of total negative symptoms scores on SOPS and a decrease in GAF scores. Conclusion: Our results suggest the potential utility of NLR as a bio-marker for psychotic disorders and subthreshold prodromal symptoms in 22q11.2DS. Furthermore, they imply that a disequilibrium between the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system facilitates the progression of psychosis in at risk populations. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to validate our findings, as this was a cross sectional observation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)164-169
Number of pages6
JournalSchizophrenia Research
Volume231
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

  • 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
  • Inflammation
  • Neutrophils lymphocytes ratio
  • Psychosis
  • Schizophrenia

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