Skip to main content
NIHPA Author Manuscripts logoLink to NIHPA Author Manuscripts
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Jan 28.
Published in final edited form as: Biol Psychiatry. 2013 Oct 3;75(4):300–306. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.09.023

The epidemiological evidence linking autoimmune diseases and psychosis

Michael E Benros 1,2,3, William W Eaton 4, Preben B Mortensen 1,3
PMCID: PMC8797267  NIHMSID: NIHMS530711  PMID: 24199668

Abstract

This review summarizes the epidemiological evidence linking autoimmune diseases and psychosis. The associations between autoimmune diseases and psychosis have been studied for more than a half century, but research has intensified within the last decades, since psychosis has been associated with genetic markers of the immune system and with excess auto-reactivity and other immune alterations. A range of psychiatric disorders, including psychosis, have been observed to occur more frequently in some autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosis and multiple sclerosis. Many autoimmune diseases involve multiple organs and general dysfunction of the immune system which could affect the brain and induce psychiatric symptoms. Most studies have been cross-sectional observing an increased prevalence of a broad number of autoimmune diseases in people with psychotic disorders. Furthermore, there is some evidence of associations of psychosis with a family history of autoimmune disorders and vice versa. Additionally, several autoimmune diseases, individually and in aggregate, have been identified as raising the risk for psychotic disorders in longitudinal studies. The associations have been suspected to be caused by inflammation or brain-reactive antibodies associated with the autoimmune diseases. However, the associations could also be caused by shared genetic factors or common etiological components such as infections. Infections can induce the development of autoimmune diseases and autoantibodies, possibly affecting the brain. Autoimmune diseases and brain-reactive antibodies should be considered by clinicians in the treatment of individuals with psychotic symptoms, and even if the association is not causal, treatment would probably still improve quality of life and survival.

Introduction

The associations between autoimmune diseases and psychosis have been investigated for more than a half-century(1). Autoimmune diseases are diseases in which tissue damage is mediated by autoantibodies and T-cells inducing diverse symptoms, depending on the affected part of the body(2). Recent studies have indicated that the excess co-occurrence might be due to common features in the etiology of the two disorders. Both schizophrenia and many autoimmune diseases are heritable(3;4) and genetic studies have linked both diseases with the immune-related major histocompatibility complex (MHC), suggesting that schizophrenia might have some involvement of the immune system, and one of the most consistent genetic signal in schizophrenia has been found on chromosome 6p where the MHC genes are located(57). Furthermore, diverse immune alterations have been observed in patients with psychosis, with elevated levels of inflammatory markers in both the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)(812), and activated microglia in the brain(13;14). Additionally, infections can induce autoimmunity and have also been suggested as a risk factor for psychosis(15;16).

The associations between autoimmune diseases and psychosis have been investigated since the 1950’s where researchers were puzzled by the apparent protective effect of schizophrenia for rheumatoid arthritis(17;18). In the 1950’s and 1960’s clinicians noticed what seemed to be an unusually high occurrence of celiac disease in persons with schizophrenia(19;20). Also, as early as the 1960’s, a variety of autoantibodies with cross-reactivity against brain antigens were described in the sera and CSF of patients with schizophrenia(2123). More recently a wider range of autoimmune diseases has been implicated in population-based prospective studies as raising risk of psychosis, such as systemic lupus erythematosis, autoimmune thyrotoxicosis, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune hepatitis and psoriasis(15;24). There are several lines of evidence linking adult onset psychiatric disorders as well as other neurological symptoms to brain-reactive antibodies(25), and an increasing number of previously unknown antibodies with reactivity against the central nervous system (CNS) are being reported in recent years(25;26), also in patients with psychosis(27;28).

Prevalence of autoimmune diseases in people with psychosis

The prevalence of hospital contacts with autoimmune diseases in the general population is about 4%, based on a Nationwide Danish study, whereas the prevalence of schizophrenia is estimated to be around 1% worldwide(29;30). A Danish population-based study on 7,704 patients with schizophrenia showed that the relative risk of schizophrenia for an individual with a history of autoimmune disease, in themselves or in their family, was elevated by about 45%, and schizophrenia was associated with a nearly 50% elevated life-time prevalence of autoimmune diseases(24). Subsequent larger Danish population-based studies on 20,317 patients with schizophrenia and a total of 39,076 patients with non-affective psychosis confirmed the nearly 50% elevated life-time prevalence of autoimmune diseases compared to the general population(15;31;32). Based on the Danish register data, hospital contacts because of autoimmune diseases had occurred in 2.4% of the patients before a schizophrenia diagnosis and autoimmune diseases occurred in 3.6% of patients with schizophrenia after the diagnosis, resulting in 6% of people with schizophrenia that had a hospital contact with autoimmune diseases during follow-up(15;31). A recent cross-sectional analysis of a national sample from Taiwan on 10,811 individuals with schizophrenia replicated the association of a range of autoimmune diseases with schizophrenia, including specific positive associations with celiac disease, Graves’ disease, psoriasis, pernicious anaemia, hypersensitivity vasculitis, and the negative association with rheumatoid arthritis(33). Based on data from the study in Taiwan(33), 3.4% of persons with a hospital contact for autoimmune diseases also had a hospital contact with schizophrenia during the follow-up period, which was shorter than the Danish studies. The incidence of bipolar disorder was increased by 70% during the first five years after an autoimmune disease diagnosis and increased by 20% in the time span after in a Danish population-based study on 9,920 individuals with bipolar disorder(32). These prevalence estimates are based on hospital contacts only, and the actual prevalence of autoimmune diseases in people with schizophrenia is likely much higher if one were to screen the individuals.

Associations between celiac disease and psychosis

Gluten intake induces the production of anti-gliadin and transglutaminase antibodies by the immune system(34). A wide range of neurological complications are associated with antibodies to gliadin even in the absence of autoimmune disease(3537). In the 1950’s and 1960’s clinicians noticed what seemed to be an unusually high occurrence of celiac disease in persons with schizophrenia(19;20). In the 1960’s Dohan observed in epidemiological studies that schizophrenia admissions during World War II decreased in countries where consumption of wheat decreased, and increased in countries in which the war produced higher consumption of wheat, and hypothesized that these associations could be associated with incidence or exacerbations of celiac disease(38;39). He later observed that schizophrenia was rare in remote populations in the western Pacific region where grain consumption was rare and that the prevalence of schizophrenia increased when remote populations adapted to western lifestyle with increased grain consumption(40). In line with these findings, small exploratory studies have shown a beneficial effect of gluten-free diet on schizophrenia symptoms in subgroups with gluten sensitivity and celiac disease(4143). Furthermore, studies have shown increased prevalence of anti-gliadin and transglutaminase antibodies in subgroups of patients with schizophrenia(44). Recently it has been found that antibodies to the self-antigen Tissue Transglutaminase, indicative of celiac disease, are found in about five times as many persons with schizophrenia as in the general population (5.4% vs 0.8% in the CATIE study, n=1401) (4447). Furthermore, antibodies to Gliadin, indicating sensitivity to wheat not necessarily associated with autoimmune disease, are found in much higher proportion in persons with schizophrenia than in the general population (23.1% vs 3.1% in the CATIE study) (44;4749). Clinical studies have estimated the prevalence of celiac disease to be 2.1–2.6% in patients with schizophrenia compared to 0.3–1% in the general population(34;44). However, patients with schizophrenia might have a different diet, than the control group which could affect the gliadin and transglutaminase antibody level, and not all studies have shown associations (50). Furthermore, the genetic markers HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 associated with celiac disease have not been found in excess in patients with schizophrenia(49); however, other genetic markers have also been suggested to be involved (51). Additionally, population-based studies have only found a small increase of celiac disease in people with schizophrenia but one could argue that the condition is probably under-diagnosed particularly in the population with psychotic symptoms(15;52).

Rheumatoid arthritis and psychosis

As early as the 1950’s investigators were puzzled by the apparent protective effect of schizophrenia for rheumatoid arthritis(17;18), and more than a dozen studies have later confirmed the same negative association(33;5355). The timing of disease onset is much later for rheumatoid arthritis than for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, making it unlikely that the occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis raises or lowers risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The negative association between schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis could be due to the interplay of genetic influences, since several of the autoimmune diseases have been associated with different markers in the MHC region, and these markers might be differently associated with psychiatric disorders(1;53;54). Potvin et al.(11) suggest that the negative relationship might be mediated by the interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), which is elevated in schizophrenia but protective against Rheumatoid Arthritis. It has also been suggested that anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of antipsychotics might also be involved in this negative association(56). However, a Danish nationwide study confirmed this negative association with rheumatoid arthritis among patients with schizophrenia when comparing to the general population but when comparing with the incidence of other degenerative disorders in the musculoskeletal system the incidence was similarly decreased, indicating that the association could also be due to ascertainment bias and selection as a result of under reporting/treatment of somatic comorbidity among patients with schizophrenia(55). Additionally, nationwide Danish studies did not find a decreased incidence of rheumatoid arthritis before the diagnosis with schizophrenia(15;24). Regarding bipolar disorder, there have not been shown any overall associations with rheumatoid arthritis(55), except for an increased incidence within the first five years after the diagnosis with rheumatoid arthritis(32).

Autoimmune diseases of the thyroid gland and psychosis

Some patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases also have psychiatric symptoms that have been associated with anti-thyroid antibodies(57). Both autoimmune thyrotoxicosis (Grave’s disease) and autoimmune thyroiditis have been associated with a raised risk of schizophrenia in Danish population-based studies(15;32). The prevalence of autoimmune thyrotoxicosis among patients with schizophrenia was also increased in the population-based study from Taiwan(33). Furthermore, studies have indicated a positive family history between both autoimmune thyrotoxicosis and thyroditis with schizophrenia(24;58).

Type 1 Diabetes and psychosis

Type 1 Diabetes is associated with autoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylases (subtype GAD65 with affinity to the pancreas), which may also show affinity towards GAD expressed in the brain (subtypes GAD65 and GAD67). GAD is involved in the formation of the central neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) and GAD antibodies are also associated with neurological diseases, such as the Stiff Person Syndrome(59). In Danish population-based studies the incidence of Type 1 Diabetes is increased in people with schizophrenia both before and after the diagnosis(15;31;32). In the population-based study from Taiwan, Type 1 Diabetes was significantly elevated for females and non-significantly elevated for males with schizophrenia. Three other studies have suggested a positive family history between Type 1 Diabetes and schizophrenia(24;58;60). However, a negative association have been found in other studies(61;62), including a population-based Finnish study that found a decreased incidence of schizophrenia among people with Type 1 Diabetes in a more restricted cohort than the other population-based studies(62), and also a previous Danish study on a smaller cohort showed a small non-significantly decreased incidence(24).

Systemic Lupus erythematosus and psychosis

Studies indicate that between 14% to 75% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) experience neuropsychiatric symptoms, including psychosis(5). The neuropsychiatric symptoms are suspected to be induced by brain-reactive antibodies(63), including antibodies with affinity toward the anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor in the brain(25;64;65), which is central to current pathophysiological theories of psychosis(27;66). Approximately 40% of the neuropsychiatric SLE manifestations have been shown to develop before the onset of SLE, or at the time of diagnosis, and about 60% within the first year after diagnosis(67). In a recent Danish register study, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were also associated with an increased incidence of non-affective psychosis(15); however, the incidence was non-significantly elevated in previous Danish studies(24;32) and also in a recent population-based study from Taiwan(33).

Multiple sclerosis and psychosis

Multiple sclerosis has been associated with a broad range of psychiatric symptoms(68;69). In multiple sclerosis, there is a large-scale infiltration of cells from the immune system into the brain parenchyma as well as activation of the resident inflammatory cells, astrocytes, and microglial cells, which results in nerve damage(70). Multiple sclerosis has been associated with an increased risk of both schizophrenia, non-affective psychosis and bipolar disorder in Danish population-based studies(15;32), and with psychosis in a population-based study from Canada(71). A family history with multiple sclerosis is associated with schizophrenia and non-affective psychosis, but not bipolar disorder(32). Some medical treatments of multiple sclerosis, such as interferon, have been associated with psychotic symptoms; however, the incidence of psychotic symptoms are also increased before the diagnosis(31).

Autoimmune hepatitis and psychosis

Autoimmune hepatitis has been associated with an 5–6 fold increased risk of schizophrenia and non-affective psychosis and also an elevated incidence of bipolar disorder(32). Furthermore a family history of autoimmune hepatitis have been associated with schizophrenia and non-affective psychosis(32). Of other notice is that if a person has had both an autoimmune hepatitis diagnosis and a hospital contact with infection, the risk of schizophrenia was increased by almost nine times in a Danish study(15). Autoimmune hepatitis has also been associated with brain-reactive antibodies(72), and in patients with severe affection of the liver, as seen in coma hepaticum, psychiatric symptoms are dominating in the initial phases(73). However, the associations with inflammation in the liver could also be explained by the effect of, for instance, a metabolic syndrome or substance abuse.

Guillain-Barré syndrome and psychosis

The incidence of Guillain-Barré is increased both before and after a diagnosis with non-affective psychosis, and also in the delayed period more than 5 years after the diagnosis(31;32). The increased risk of psychosis is confined to persons with a diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome as well as a hospital contact with infection(15). Interestingly, the ganglioside-specific antibodies that are present in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome are suspected to be induced by molecular mimicry after exposures to infections such as the Campylobacter jejuni bacteria(74).

Psoriasis and psychosis

Psoriasis has been associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia in population-based studies both from Denmark and Taiwan(15;32;33). The risk of non-affective psychosis and bipolar disorder has also been increased in Danish studies(31;32). Additionally, a family history with psoriasis have been associated with schizophrenia and non-affective psychosis but not bipolar disorder(32). To the best of our knowledge psoriasis has not been associated with brain-reactive antibodies but within recent years psoriasis has been considered to be of a more systemic nature than previously thought.

Associations between infections, autoimmune diseases and psychosis

Infections are among the prime candidates for initiating autoimmune diseases(75) and have also been associated with the development of schizophrenia(15;16) and bipolar disorder(76). A nationwide Danish study on persons with autoimmune diseases showed that the increased risk of schizophrenia diminished from 45% to 29% when restricted to persons without a history of infection(15). Additionally, the study found that when autoimmune diseases and severe infections occurred together they interacted in synergy and increased the risk of schizophrenia by 2.25 times, which did not seem to be confined to one particular pathogen. The same pattern has been observed for bipolar disorder, where individuals with an autoimmune disease but no hospital contact with infection had an increased risk of bipolar disorder by 25%, and individuals with both an autoimmune disease and hospital contact with infection had an increased risk of bipolar disorder by 2.04 times(76). Additionally, we have shown that after the diagnosis with schizophrenia, there was a multiplicative interaction with hospital contact for infections, which together increased the risk of developing an autoimmune disease by a factor of 2.70 (31). Hence, there might be a biological interaction with infection that could be a common risk factor for both autoimmune diseases and schizophrenia.

Associations with a family history of either autoimmune diseases or schizophrenia

A family history with autoimmune diseases has been shown to increase the risk of schizophrenia by 10% and a family history with schizophrenia increases the risk of autoimmune diseases by 6%(31;32). However, a family history with bipolar disorder was not significantly associated with autoimmune diseases and there was no association in the reverse direction either(31;32). A family history with the following specific autoimmune diseases have been associated with an increased incidence of schizophrenia in the 2010 study by Eaton et al.(32): autoimmune hepatitis, type 1 diabetes, Sjogrens syndrome, iridocyclitis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis vulgaris and dermatopolymyositis, whereas only a family history with pernicious anemia were associated with bipolar disorder out of the 30 autoimmune diseases studied. The association with a family history of diabetes type 1 and autoimmune thyrotoxicosis with schizophrenia have been confirmed in other populations as well(58;60).

Brain-reactive antibodies and psychosis

As early as the 1960’s, autoantibodies with cross-reactivity against brain antigens have been described in the sera and CSF of patients with schizophrenia(2123). Through the years, several groups have identified diverse brain-reactive antibodies in patients with schizophrenia, including antibodies against neurotransmitters, but consistency in the findings has not been high(5;77), and the correlation with disease activity ambiguous(77). This could be due to differences in methods and that the findings with brain-reactive antibodies may be too unspecific. Some of the strongest evidence for the potential for autoimmunity to cause psychosis comes from the NMDA antibody-induced limbic encephalitis, which can be induced by both cancer and infections, where psychiatric symptoms are often dominant in the initial and the remission phase of the disorder in up to 70% of the cases(78), which has been demonstrated to be treatable with immunosuppressants or plasmapheresis(25;78). It seems that the same antibodies can cause more than one neuropsychiatric symptom depending on the region of the brain that is exposed to the antibodies(74). Animal studies have additionally shown convincing evidence, where brain-reactive antibodies appear to induce a broad range of neuropsychiatric symptoms, particularly after an induced breach of the BBB with subsequent influx of antibodies into the brain tissue(74;79;80). In line with this, Danish population-based studies have found a synergistic effect of having both autoimmune diseases and hospital contacts with infections on the risk of psychosis(15;76). Furthermore, the group of autoimmune diseases with suspected presence of brain-reactive antibodies was associated with higher risks of subsequent non-affective psychosis and bipolar disorder than the group without(15;31;76). However, since the studies were based on diagnoses and not direct measurements of specific brain-reactive antibodies, it remains speculative whether these diseases are actually caused by brain-reactive antibodies or other related risk factors.

Limitations

Most of the epidemiologic estimates are from register-based studies and the prevalence might be underestimated, since, in general, only diseases requiring hospital contacts are included. Diagnostic delay and under-treatment of somatic comorbidity is a general problem for patients with schizophrenia(8183), and possibly explains the increased mortality(83;84). Therefore, the prevalence of autoimmune diseases might be much higher in screening studies of people with psychosis. Furthermore, if the treating physician expects a causal association between the psychiatric symptoms in a patient with autoimmune disease, the patient might not be referred to a psychiatric hospital contact or might have been classified with an organic psychiatric disorder instead, which would contribute to the prevalence of psychosis being underestimated in register studies. There might be further limitations with these large register-based studies considering the autoimmune diseases in aggregate, which could result in insufficient adjustments for specific risk factors regarding the individual autoimmune diseases(62). Randomized studies would be preferable to the epidemiological studies but difficult to conduct due to ethical reasons; however, randomized studies of anti-inflammatory treatment for instance are ongoing and may provide more evidence after the initial promising results(85).

Views on the nature of the associations

Subgroups of people with schizophrenia may demonstrate features of an autoimmune process, and the hypothesis is strengthened by the findings of an increased familial association between autoimmune diseases and schizophrenia(24;31;60). Additionally, complex etiological mechanisms similar to those of some psychiatric disorders are hypothesized to be involved in the initiation of autoimmunity where genetic susceptibility is required along with triggering events such as infections(77). Different combinations of risk factors may lead to different types of autoimmune diseases and there is high comorbidity of autoimmune diseases(86), which might also be the case for psychiatric disorders.

The association of schizophrenia with a range of autoimmune diseases may reflect inflammation as a common pathway to psychosis. Inflammation can affect the brain through increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier or even without passing the blood-brain barrier through stimulation of peripheral nerves(87) or proinflammatory cytokines activating the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway involved in regulation of the glutamate and serotonin system(87), and probably also indirectly dopamine(10). Inflammation might act as a priming event on microglia, inducing a long-term development of abnormal signal patterns possibly involved in schizophrenia(88). Many diverse immune alterations have been observed in patients with psychosis, with elevated levels of inflammatory markers in both the blood and CSF(812), together with observations of activated microglia in post-mortem brains(13;89), and in vivo brain imaging(14). An imbalance between the Th1 and Th2 systems has also been proposed as an etiological component to schizophrenia(10), which would fit with the increased prevalence of autoimmune diseases and atopic disorders in people with schizophrenia(24;90). Furthermore, maternal immune responses during pregnancy have been associated with schizophrenia and might also induce sensitizing or preconditioning effects that can cause the organism to amplify reactions to subsequent immunological challenges in later life(91;92). However, adjusting for metabolic and lifestyle-related variables in cross-sectional studies of patients with schizophrenia together with medication clearly weakens the association with inflammatory markers(12).

The excess co-occurrence of autoimmune diseases and psychosis, together with an association with a family history of the disorders, might be due to a genetic vulnerability toward dysfunction of the immune system in patients with schizophrenia, which could make them more susceptible to acquiring infections and thereby increasing the risk of autoimmune diseases. However, several of the autoimmune diseases have been associated with different markers in the MHC region, and these markers might be differently associated with psychiatric disorders. This could, for instance, explain the negative association between schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis, which has been shown in more than a dozen studies; a fact that could be due to the interplay of genetic influences(1;53;54). Furthermore, MHC may be an important factor in determining the individual response to infectious agents for instance and genetic variation may exaggerate responses to infections and predispose to the development of autoimmunity(4;93).

Factors other than shared etiological components could also be responsible for the observed associations between psychosis and autoimmune diseases. An iatrogenic effect of medical treatment may influence the associations; but only some of the included autoimmune diseases would be treated with medications like steroids or interferon, which might increase the risk of psychosis. Antipsychotic medications and consequent side effects might have an impact on the immune system; however, there is no evidence from prior research that antipsychotic medications induce autoimmune diseases; and the incidence of autoimmune diseases are also elevated before the diagnosis with schizophrenia and initiation of antipsychotic medication(15). The risk of developing autoimmune diseases might be increased by smoking, alcohol and drug abuse. Furthermore, psychological stress associated with psychosis might also be a trigger for autoimmune disease activity leading to hospital contacts or making the individual more vulnerable to the effects of infections leading to autoimmunity. However, if the increased risk was due to life style, psychological stress or medication, the risk could be expected to increase with time after the diagnosis of schizophrenia due to longer exposure periods, which does not seem to be the case(31). Ascertainment bias might also influence the results from the register-based studies but the incidence of psychosis is also increased in the delayed period more than five years after the hospital contact with autoimmune diseases and vice versa(31;32).

Studies of patients with schizophrenia not previously diagnosed with an autoimmune disease have demonstrated excess prevalence of diverse autoantibodies in sera(9497). Interestingly, recent CSF screening studies of patients with schizophrenia, and no known autoimmune diseases or infection, have detected autoantibodies or antibodies against infectious agents in the CSF of 3.2% to 6% of patients with schizophrenia(98;99). Furthermore, newly discovered brain-reactive antibodies have been identified in the sera and CSF of patients with psychosis(27;28) and more are detected in these years(25). Autoimmune diseases often have an early phase of target organ inflammation followed by a late phase of irreversible tissue damage, and if brain-reactive antibodies are actually causally related to psychotic symptoms, early preventive treatment of prodromal patients would be of utmost importance to prevent the immunological destruction or alteration of neuronal connections. Potentially, autoimmune processes could be involved in the prodrome and perhaps etiology of a non-negligible proportion of individuals with schizophrenia and other psychosis. Symptom manifestations of autoimmune conditions might particularly resemble the subtype of psychosis with chronic relapsing remitting illness for instance (93). Hence, autoimmune and inflammatory processes should be considered in the evaluation of patients presenting with psychotic symptoms.

Conclusions

There is a positive association between a broad number of autoimmune diseases and autoantibodies with schizophrenia. Population-based studies from both Denmark and Taiwan have shown an association of a range of autoimmune diseases considered in aggregate and psychosis, including a specific positive association with celiac disease, autoimmune thyrotoxicosis, psoriasis, pernicious anaemia, and a negative association with rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, small associations between a family history of the disorders have been observed possibly indicating shared familial/genetic risk factors. Whether or not the co-occurrence of autoimmune diseases in people with schizophrenia is causally related to the psychiatric symptoms, the individuals would nonetheless benefit from treatment for their somatic comorbidity to reduce mortality and improve quality of life. The increased mortality in psychiatric patients is mainly due to somatic diseases(84;100); hence, a thorough clinical examination and frequent somatic check-ups is important in patients presenting with symptoms of psychosis and other severe mental illnesses.

Acknowledgements

The study was supported financially by grants from the Stanley Medical Research Institute, ERC Advanced Grant Project no. 294838 and an unrestricted grant from The Lundbeck Foundation. Eaton’s work was supported by NIMH grant MH 53188.

Footnotes

Conflict of Interest

All authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Reference List

  • (1).Benros ME, Mortensen PB, Eaton WW (2012): Autoimmune diseases and infections as risk factors for schizophrenia. Ann.N.Y.Acad.Sci. 1262: 56–66. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (2).Davidson A, Diamond B (2001): Autoimmune diseases. N.Engl.J Med 345: 340–350. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (3).Sullivan PF, Kendler KS, Neale MC (2003): Schizophrenia as a complex trait: evidence from a meta-analysis of twin studies. Arch.Gen.Psychiatry 60: 1187–1192. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (4).Cho JH, Gregersen PK (2011): Genomics and the multifactorial nature of human autoimmune disease. N.Engl.J Med. 365: 1612–1623. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (5).Jones AL, Mowry BJ, Pender MP, Greer JM (2005): Immune dysregulation and self-reactivity in schizophrenia: do some cases of schizophrenia have an autoimmune basis? Immunol.Cell Biol. 83: 9–17. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (6).Stefansson H, Ophoff RA, Steinberg S, Andreassen OA, Cichon S, Rujescu D, et al. (2009): Common variants conferring risk of schizophrenia. Nature 460: 744–747. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (7).Ripke S, Sanders AR, Kendler KS, Levinson DF, Sklar P, Holmans PA, et al. (2011): Genome-wide association study identifies five new schizophrenia loci. Nat.Genet. 43: 969–976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (8).Nikkila HV, Muller K, Ahokas A, Rimon R, Andersson LC (2001): Increased frequency of activated lymphocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with acute schizophrenia. Schizophr.Res. 49: 99–105. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (9).Miller BJ, Gassama B, Sebastian D, Buckley P, Mellor A (2012): Meta-Analysis of Lymphocytes in Schizophrenia: Clinical Status and Antipsychotic Effects. Biol.Psychiatry [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (10).Muller N, Schwarz MJ (2010): Immune System and Schizophrenia. Curr.Immunol.Rev. 6: 213–220. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (11).Potvin S, Stip E, Sepehry AA, Gendron A, Bah R, Kouassi E (2008): Inflammatory cytokine alterations in schizophrenia: a systematic quantitative review. Biol.Psychiatry 63: 801–808. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (12).Suvisaari J, Loo BM, Saarni SE, Haukka J, Perala J, Saarni SI, et al. (2011): Inflammation in psychotic disorders: a population-based study. Psychiatry Res. 189: 305–311. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (13).Radewicz K, Garey LJ, Gentleman SM, Reynolds R (2000): Increase in HLA-DR immunoreactive microglia in frontal and temporal cortex of chronic schizophrenics. J Neuropathol.Exp.Neurol. 59: 137–150. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (14).van Berckel BN, Bossong MG, Boellaard R, Kloet R, Schuitemaker A, Caspers E, et al. (2008): Microglia activation in recent-onset schizophrenia: a quantitative (R)-[11C]PK11195 positron emission tomography study. Biol.Psychiatry 64: 820–822. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (15).Benros ME, Nielsen PR, Nordentoft M, Eaton WW, Dalton SO, Mortensen PB (2011): Autoimmune diseases and severe infections as risk factors for schizophrenia: a 30-year population-based register study. American Journal of Psychiatry 168: 1303–1310. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (16).Yolken RH, Torrey EF (2008): Are some cases of psychosis caused by microbial agents? A review of the evidence. Mol.Psychiatry 13: 470–479. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (17).Trevathan R, Tatum JC (1953): Rarity of Concurrence of Psychosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis in Individual Patients. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 120: 83–84. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (18).Pilkington T (1955): The Coincidence of Rheumatoid arthritis and Schizophrenia. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 124: 604–606. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (19).Bender L (1953): Childhood schizophrenia. Psychiatric Quarterly 27: 663–681. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (20).Graff H, Handford A (1961): Celiac Syndrome in the case histories of five schizophrenics. Psychiatric Quarterly 35: 306–313. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (21).Fessel WJ (1962): Autoimmunity and mental illness. A preliminary report. Arch.Gen.Psychiatry 6: 320–323. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (22).Heath RG, Krupp IM (1967): Schizophrenia as an immunologic disorder. I. Demonstration of antibrain globulins by fluorescent antibody techniques. Arch.Gen.Psychiatry 16: 1–9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (23).Heath RG, Krupp IM (1967): Catatonia induced in monkeys by antibrain antibody. American Journal of Psychiatry 123: 1499–1504. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (24).Eaton WW, Byrne M, Ewald H, Mors O, Chen CY, Agerbo E, Mortensen PB (2006): Association of schizophrenia and autoimmune diseases: linkage of Danish national registers. Am.J.Psychiatry 163: 521–528. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (25).Graus F, Saiz A, Dalmau J (2010): Antibodies and neuronal autoimmune disorders of the CNS. J.Neurol. 257: 509–517. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (26).Steiner J, Bogerts B, Sarnyai Z, Walter M, Gos T, Bernstein HG, Myint AM (2012): Bridging the gap between the immune and glutamate hypotheses of schizophrenia and major depression: Potential role of glial NMDA receptor modulators and impaired blood-brain barrier integrity. World J Biol.Psychiatry 13: 482–492. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (27).Zandi MS, Irani SR, Lang B, Waters P, Jones PB, McKenna P, Coles AJ, Vincent A, Lennox BR (2010): Disease-relevant autoantibodies in first episode schizophrenia. J.Neurol. 258: 686–688. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (28).Steiner J, Walter M, Glanz W, Sarnyai Z, Bernstein HG, Vielhaber S, et al. (2013): Increased prevalence of diverse N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor antibodies in patients with an initial diagnosis of schizophrenia: specific relevance of IgG NR1a antibodies for distinction from N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor encephalitis. JAMA Psychiatry 70, 271–278. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (29).Saha S, Chant D, Welham J, McGrath J (2005): A systematic review of the prevalence of schizophrenia. PLoS.Med. 2: e141. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (30).Eaton WW, Pedersen MG, Atladottir HO, Gregory PE, Rose NR, Mortensen PB (2010): The prevalence of 30 ICD-10 autoimmune diseases in Denmark. Immunol.Res. 47: 228–231. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (31).Benros ME, Pedersen MG, Rasmussen H, Eaton WW, Nordentoft M, Mortensen PB. A nationwide study on the risk of autoimmune diseases in individuals with a personal or a family history of schizophrenia and related psychosis. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2013. In Press [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (32).Eaton WW, Pedersen MG, Nielsen PR, Mortensen PB (2010): Autoimmune diseases, bipolar disorder, and non-affective psychosis. Bipolar.Disord 12: 638–646. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (33).Chen SJ, Chao YL, Chen CY, Chang CM, Wu EC, Wu CS, et al. (2012): Prevalence of autoimmune diseases in inpatients with schizophrenia: nationwide population-based study. Br.J Psychiatry 200: 374–380. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (34).Kalaydjian AE, Eaton W, Cascella N, Fasano A (2006): The gluten connection: the association between schizophrenia and celiac disease. Acta Psychiatr.Scand. 113: 82–90. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (35).Hadjivassiliou M, Sanders DSGRA, Woodroofe N, Boscolo S, Aeschlimann D(2010): Gluten sensitivity: from gut to brain. Lancet Neurology 9: 318–330. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (36).Jackson JR, Eaton WW, Cascella NG, Fasano A, Kelly DL (2012): Neurologic and Psychiatric Manifestations of Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity. Psychiatr.Q.83:91–102. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (37).Irani S, Lang B (2008): Autoantibody-mediated disorders of the central nervous system. Autoimmunity 41: 55–65. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (38).Dohan FC (1966): Wheat “consumption” and hospital admissions for schizophrenia during World War II. A preliminary report. Am J Clin.Nutr. 18: 7–10. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (39).Dohan FC (1970): Coeliac disease and schizophrenia. Lancet 1: 897–898. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (40).Dohan FC, Harper EH, Clark MH, Rodrigue RB, Zigas V (1984): Is schizophrenia rare if grain is rare? Biol.Psychiatry 19: 385–399. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (41).Santos De, Addolorato G, Romito A, Caputo S, Giordano A, Gambassi G, et al. (1997): Schizophrenic symptoms and SPECT abnormalities in a coeliac patient: regression after a gluten-free diet. J Intern.Med. 242: 421–423. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (42).Jackson J, Eaton W, Cascella N, Fasano A, Warfel D, Feldman S, et al. (2012): A gluten-free diet in people with schizophrenia and anti-tissue transglutaminase or anti-gliadin antibodies. Schizophr.Res. 140: 262–263. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (43).Singh MM, Kay SR (1976): Wheat gluten as a pathogenic factor in schizophrenia. Science 191: 401–402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (44).Cascella NG, Kryszak D, Bhatti B, Gregory P, Kelly DL, Mc Evoy JP, et al. (2011): Prevalence of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity in the United States clinical antipsychotic trials of intervention effectiveness study population. Schizophr.Bull 37: 94–100. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (45).Reichelt KL, Landmark J (1995): Specific IgA antibody increases in schizophrenia. Biol.Psychiatry 37: 410–413. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (46).Jin SZ, Wu N, Xu Q, Zhang X, Ju GZ, Law MH, Wei J (2010): A Study of Circulating Gliadin Antibodies in Schizophrenia Among a Chinese Population. Schizophr.Bull. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (47).Samaroo D, Dickerson F, Kasarda DD, Green PH, Briani C, Yolken RH, Alaedini A (2010): Novel immune response to gluten in individuals with schizophrenia. Schizophr.Res. 118: 248–255. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (48).Sidhom O, Laadhar L, Zitouni M, Ben AN, Rafrafi R, Kallel-Sellami M, et al. (2012): Spectrum of autoantibodies in Tunisian psychiatric inpatients. Immunol.Invest 41: 538–549. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (49).Dickerson F, Stallings C, Origoni A, Vaughan C, Khushalani S, Leister F, et al. (2010): Markers of gluten sensitivity and celiac disease in recent-onset psychosis and multi-episode schizophrenia. Biol.Psychiatry 68: 100–104. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (50).Peleg R, Ben-Zion ZI, Peleg A, Gheber L, Kotler M, Weizman Z, et al. (2004): “Bread madness” revisited: screening for specific celiac antibodies among schizophrenia patients. Eur.Psychiatry 19: 311–314. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (51).Jungerius BJ, Bakker SC, Monsuur AJ, Sinke RJ, Kahn RS, Wijmenga C (2008): Is MYO9B the missing link between schizophrenia and celiac disease? Am J Med.Genet.B Neuropsychiatr.Genet 147: 351–355. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (52).Ludvigsson JF, Osby U, Ekbom A, Montgomery SM (2007): Coeliac disease and risk of schizophrenia and other psychosis: a general population cohort study. Scand.J Gastroenterol. 42: 179–185. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (53).Eaton WW, Hayward C, Ram R (1992): Schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis: a review. Schizophr.Res 6: 181–192. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (54).Vinogradov S, Gottesman II, Moises HW, Nicol S (1991): Negative association between schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis. Schizophr.Bull 17: 669–678. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (55).Mors O, Mortensen PB, Ewald H (1999): A population-based register study of the association between schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis. Schizophr.Res. 40: 67–74. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (56).Torrey EF, Yolken RH (2001): The schizophrenia-rheumatoid arthritis connection: infectious, immune, or both? Brain Behav.Immun. 15: 401–410. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (57).Margutti P, Delunardo F, Ortona E (2006): Autoantibodies associated with psychiatric disorders. Curr.Neurovasc.Res 3: 149–157. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (58).Gilvarry CM, Sham PC, Jones PB, Cannon M, Wright P, Lewis SW, et al. (1996): Family history of autoimmune diseases in psychosis. Schizophr.Res. 19: 33–40. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (59).Yarlagadda A, Helvink B, Chou C, Clayton AH (2007): Blood Brain Barrier: The Role of GAD Antibodies in Psychiatry. Psychiatry (Edgmont.) 4: 57–59. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (60).Wright P, Sham PC, Gilvarry CM, Jones PB, Cannon M, Sharma T, Murray RM (1996) Autoimmune diseases in the pedigrees of schizophrenic and control subjects. Schizophr.Res. 20: 261–267. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (61).Finney GO (1989): Juvenile onset diabetes and schizophrenia? Lancet 2: 1214–1215. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (62).Juvonen H, Reunanen A, Haukka J, Muhonen M, Suvisaari J, Arajarvi R, et al. (2007): Incidence of schizophrenia in a nationwide cohort of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Arch.Gen.Psychiatry 64: 894–899. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (63).Ballok DA (2007): Neuroimmunopathology in a murine model of neuropsychiatric lupus. Brain Res.Rev. 54: 67–79. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (64).Degiorgio LA, Konstantinov KN, Lee SC, Hardin JA, Volpe BT, Diamond B (2001): A subset of lupus anti-DNA antibodies cross-reacts with the NR2 glutamate receptor in systemic lupus erythematosus. Nat.Med. 7: 1189–1193. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (65).Rice JS, Kowal C, Volpe BT, Degiorgio LA, Diamond B (2005): Molecular mimicry: anti-DNA antibodies bind microbial and nonnucleic acid self-antigens. Curr.Top.Microbiol.Immunol. 296: 137–151. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (66).Balu DT, Coyle JT (2011). Neuroplasticity signaling pathways linked to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Neurosci Biobeh Rev 35: 848–70. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (67).van Dam AP (1991): Diagnosis and pathogenesis of CNS lupus. Rheumatol.Int 11: 1–11. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (68).Feinstein A (2007): Neuropsychiatric syndromes associated with multiple sclerosis. J Neurol. 254: II73–II76. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (69).Kosmidis MH, Giannakou M, Messinis L, Papathanasopoulos P(2010): Psychotic features associated with multiple sclerosis. Int.Rev.Psychiatry 22: 55–66. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (70).Minagar A, Carpenter A, Alexander JS (2007): The destructive alliance: interactions of leukocytes, cerebral endothelial cells, and the immune cascade in pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. Int.Rev.Neurobiol. 79: 1–11. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (71).Patten SB, Svenson LW, Metz LM (2005): Psychotic disorders in MS: population-based evidence of an association. Neurology 65: 1123–1125. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (72).Kimura A, Sakurai T, Koumura A, Yamada M, Hayashi Y, Tanaka Y, et al. (2010): High prevalence of autoantibodies against phosphoglycerate mutase 1 in patients with autoimmune central nervous system diseases. J.Neuroimmunol. 219: 105–108. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (73).Butterworth RF (2011): Hepatic encephalopathy: a central neuroinflammatory disorder? Hepatology 53: 1372–1376. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (74).Diamond B, Huerta PT, Mina-Osorio P, Kowal C, Volpe BT. Losing your nerves? Maybe it’s the antibodies. Nat.Rev.Immunol. 9[6], 449–456. 2009. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (75).Rose NR (1998): The role of infection in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease. Semin.Immunol 10: 5–13. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (76).Benros ME, Waltoft BL, Nordentoft M, Ostergaard SD, Eaton WW, Krogh J, Mortensen PB (2013): Autoimmune diseases and severe infections as risk factors for mood disorders: a nationwide study. JAMA Psychiatry 70: 812–820. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (77).Goldsmith CA, Rogers DP (2008): The case for autoimmunity in the etiology of schizophrenia. Pharmacotherapy 28: 730–741. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (78).Kayser MS, Dalmau J (2011): Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis in Psychiatry. Current Psychiatry Reviews 7: 189–193. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (79).Katzav A, Solodeev I, Brodsky O, Chapman J, Pick CG, Blank M, et al. (2007): Induction of autoimmune depression in mice by anti-ribosomal P antibodies via the limbic system. Arthritis Rheum. 56: 938–948. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (80).Kowal C, Degiorgio LA, Nakaoka T, Hetherington H, Huerta PT, Diamond B, Volpe BT (2004): Cognition and immunity; antibody impairs memory. Immunity. 21: 179–188. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (81).Goldman LS. Medical illness in patients with schizophrenia. J.Clin.Psychiatry 60 Suppl 21, 10–15. 1999. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (82).Harris EC, Barraclough B (1998): Excess mortality of mental disorder. Br.J.Psychiatry 173: 11–53. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (83).Laursen TM, Munk-Olsen T, Nordentoft M, Mortensen PB (2007): Increased mortality among patients admitted with major psychiatric disorders: a register-based study comparing mortality in unipolar depressive disorder, bipolar affective disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. J Clin.Psychiatry 68: 899–907. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (84).Laursen TM, Munk-Olsen T, Gasse C (2011): Chronic somatic comorbidity and excess mortality due to natural causes in persons with schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder. PLoS.One. 6: e24597. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (85).Meyer U, Schwarz MJ, Muller N (2011): Inflammatory processes in schizophrenia: A promising neuroimmunological target for the treatment of negative/cognitive symptoms and beyond. Pharmacol.Ther. 132: 96–110. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (86).Eaton WW, Rose NR, Kalaydjian A, Pedersen MG, Mortensen PB (2007): Epidemiology of autoimmune diseases in Denmark. J.Autoimmun. 29: 1–9. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (87).Dantzer R, O’Connor JC, Freund GG, Johnson RW, Kelley KW (2008): From inflammation to sickness and depression: when the immune system subjugates the brain. Nat.Rev.Neurosci 9: 46–56. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (88).Hickie IB, Banati R, Stewart CH, Lloyd AR (2009): Are common childhood or adolescent infections risk factors for schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders? Med.J Aust 190: S17–S21. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (89).Bayer TA, Buslei R, Havas L, Falkai P (1999) Evidence for activation of microglia in patients with psychiatric illnesses. Neurosci.Lett. 271: 126–128. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (90).Pedersen MS, Benros ME, Agerbo E, Borglum AD, Mortensen PB (2012): Schizophrenia in patients with atopic disorders with particular emphasis on asthma: a Danish population-based study. Schizophr.Res. 138: 58–62. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (91).Meyer U, Feldon J, Dammann O (2011): Schizophrenia and autism: both shared and disorder-specific pathogenesis via perinatal inflammation? Pediatr.Res. 69: 26R–33R. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (92).Gardner RM, Dalman C, Wicks S, Lee BK, Karlsson H (2013): Neonatal levels of acute phase proteins and later risk of non-affective psychosis. Transl.Psychiatry 3: e228. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (93).Yum SY, Yum SK, Kim T, Hwang MY (2009): Clinical perspectives on autoimmune processes in schizophrenia. Psychiatr.Clin.North Am 32: 795–808. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (94).Tanaka S, Matsunaga H, Kimura M, Tatsumi K, Hidaka Y, Takano T, et al. (2003): Autoantibodies against four kinds of neurotransmitter receptors in psychiatric disorders. J.Neuroimmunol. 141: 155–164. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (95).Laske C, Zank M, Klein R, Stransky E, Batra A, Buchkremer G, Schott K (2008): Autoantibody reactivity in serum of patients with major depression, schizophrenia and healthy controls. Psychiatry Res. 158: 83–86. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (96).Schott K, Schaefer JE, Richartz E, Batra A, Eusterschulte B, Klein R, et al. (2003): Autoantibodies to serotonin in serum of patients with psychiatric disorders. Psychiatry Res. 121: 51–57. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (97).Ganguli R, Rabin BS, Kelly RH, Lyte M, Ragu U (1987): Clinical and laboratory evidence of autoimmunity in acute schizophrenia. Ann.N.Y.Acad.Sci. 496: 676–685 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (98).Bechter K, Reiber H, Herzog S, Fuchs D, Tumani H, Maxeiner HG (2010): Cerebrospinal fluid analysis in affective and schizophrenic spectrum disorders: identification of subgroups with immune responses and blood-CSF barrier dysfunction. J.Psychiatr.Res. 44: 321–330. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (99).Kranaster L, Koethe D, Hoyer C, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Leweke FM (2011) Cerebrospinal fluid diagnostics in first-episode schizophrenia. Eur.Arch.Psychiatry Clin.Neurosci 261: 529–530. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • (100).Laursen TM (2011) Life expectancy among persons with schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder. Schizophr.Res 131: 101–104. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

RESOURCES