Behavioral Health and Clinical Neurosciences Division, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
Schizophr Res. 2012 May;137(1-3):180-4. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2012.03.001. Epub 2012 Mar 22.
Sensitivity to the skin flush effect of niacin is reduced in a portion of patients with schizophrenia. Though this peripheral physiological abnormality has been widely replicated, its relevance to neuropsychiatric manifestations of the illness has been unclear. The goal of this study was to determine if the niacin response abnormality in schizophrenia is associated with functional impairment.
Following psychiatric assessment, a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score was assigned to each of 40 volunteers with schizophrenia. For each subject, the blood flow responses to several concentrations of topical methylnicotinate were recorded. Blood flow was measured objectively, using laser Doppler flowmetry. From the dose-response data, EC(50) values were derived. GAF scores were assigned without knowledge of the participants' niacin response data.
There was a significant negative correlation between GAF scores and EC(50) values for methylnicotinate (Pearson r=-0.42; p=0.007).
Reduced niacin sensitivity is associated with greater functional impairment among patients with schizophrenia. These findings raise the possibility that a subset of schizophrenia patients possesses a biochemical abnormality that reduces niacin sensitivity in the skin and contributes to functional impairment from the disease.
一部分精神分裂症患者的烟酸皮肤潮红效应敏感性降低。尽管这种外周生理异常已被广泛复制，但它与疾病的神经精神表现的相关性尚不清楚。本研究的目的是确定精神分裂症患者中烟酸反应异常是否与功能障碍有关。
在精神病学评估后，为 40 名患有精神分裂症的志愿者分配了总体功能评估（GAF）评分。对于每个受试者，使用激光多普勒流量测量法记录了几种浓度的局部烟碱酸甲酯对血流的反应。从剂量反应数据中得出 EC（50）值。在不知道参与者烟酸反应数据的情况下分配 GAF 评分。
烟碱酸甲酯的 GAF 评分和 EC（50）值之间存在显著的负相关（Pearson r=-0.42；p=0.007）。
烟酸敏感性降低与精神分裂症患者的功能障碍程度更大相关。这些发现提出了这样一种可能性，即一部分精神分裂症患者具有生化异常，导致皮肤对烟酸的敏感性降低，并导致疾病的功能障碍。
