Physiology and Behaviour Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Schorenstrasse 16, 8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland.
Pharmacol Ther. 2011 Oct;132(1):96-110. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2011.06.003. Epub 2011 Jun 15.
Emerging evidence indicates that schizophrenia is associated with activated peripheral and central inflammatory responses. Such inflammatory processes seem to be influenced by a number of environmental and genetic predisposition factors, and they may critically depend on and contribute to the progressive nature of schizophrenic disease. There is also appreciable evidence to suggest that activated inflammatory responses can undermine disease-relevant affective, emotional, social, and cognitive functions, so that inflammatory processes may be particularly relevant for the precipitation of negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Recent clinical trials of anti-inflammatory pharmacotherapy in this disorder provide promising results by showing superior beneficial treatment effects when standard antipsychotic drugs are co-administered with anti-inflammatory compounds, as compared with treatment outcomes using antipsychotic drugs alone. Given the limited efficacy of currently available antipsychotic drugs to ameliorate negative and cognitive symptoms, the further exploration of inflammatory mechanisms and anti-inflammatory strategies may open fruitful new avenues for improved treatment of symptoms undermining affective, emotional, social and cognitive functions pertinent to schizophrenic disease.
新出现的证据表明，精神分裂症与外周和中枢炎症反应的激活有关。这种炎症过程似乎受到许多环境和遗传易感性因素的影响，并且可能严重依赖于并促成精神分裂症疾病的进行性特征。也有大量证据表明，激活的炎症反应会破坏与疾病相关的情感、情绪、社会和认知功能，因此炎症过程可能与精神分裂症的阴性和认知症状的发生特别相关。最近在该疾病中进行的抗炎药物治疗临床试验提供了有希望的结果，表明与单独使用抗精神病药物相比，当将抗炎化合物与标准抗精神病药物联合使用时，治疗效果具有更好的益处。鉴于目前可用的抗精神病药物改善阴性和认知症状的疗效有限，进一步探索炎症机制和抗炎策略可能为改善与精神分裂症相关的情感、情绪、社会和认知功能的症状治疗开辟新的途径。
