Antibodies that attack cells responsible for communicating have been found in the brains of around one in 11 psychotic patients, Oxford University researchers have discovered.
They made the discovery when they took blood samples of 228 people who had recently been diagnosed with a psychotic condition for the first time, and whose blood was tested alongside samples taken from 105 healthy people.
If this proves to be a cause – rather than just an association – it suggests that some cases of psychosis could be treated by suppressing a malfunctioning immune system.
(Source: Lancet Psychiatry, 2016; published online, December 7, 2016; doi: 10.1016/52215-0366(16)30375-3)
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