Adly Nabila M, Khalifa Dalia, Abdel-Ghany Shaimaa, Sabit Hussein
Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Misr University for Science and Technology, P. O. Box 77, Giza, Egypt.
Psychiatry Department, Kasr Al Ainy Hospitals, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2025 Aug 8. doi: 10.1007/s00702-025-02993-1.
Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder characterized by positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms that impair daily functioning. Among these, cognitive dysfunction, affecting memory, attention, and executive function, is a core feature that lacks effective treatment. The clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia is contingent upon the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), which is based on symptom assessment. However, DSM-5 criteria are subjective and lack biological specificity, leading to diagnostic delays and heterogeneity in patient classification. Emerging evidence implies that microRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally, are integral to the molecular pathways contributing to cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Dysregulated miRNAs impact neurodevelopment, synaptic plasticity, and neurotransmitter signaling, key processes implicated in cognitive impairment. Notably, miRNAs can be found in peripheral biofluids, making them promising non-invasive biomarkers for schizophrenia. Their potential diagnostic utility could enhance early detection and classification, overcoming the limitations of symptom-based clinical assessment. This review discusses the function of dysregulated miRNAs in schizophrenia-associated cognitive deficits, their molecular mechanisms, and their implications as biomarkers. Understanding miRNA-mediated regulation of cognitive function could open the door for innovative diagnostic tools and personalized interventions, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
精神分裂症是一种慢性精神疾病，其特征为阳性、阴性和认知症状，这些症状会损害日常功能。其中，影响记忆、注意力和执行功能的认知功能障碍是一个缺乏有效治疗方法的核心特征。精神分裂症的临床诊断取决于《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》第五版（DSM-5），该手册基于症状评估。然而，DSM-5标准具有主观性且缺乏生物学特异性，导致诊断延迟和患者分类的异质性。新出现的证据表明，微小RNA（miRNA），即转录后调节基因表达的小型非编码RNA，是导致精神分裂症认知功能障碍的分子途径的组成部分。失调的miRNA会影响神经发育、突触可塑性和神经递质信号传导，这些关键过程与认知障碍有关。值得注意的是，miRNA可以在外周生物流体中找到，这使其成为精神分裂症有前景的非侵入性生物标志物。它们潜在的诊断效用可以提高早期检测和分类能力，克服基于症状的临床评估的局限性。本综述讨论了失调的miRNA在精神分裂症相关认知缺陷中的功能、其分子机制以及作为生物标志物的意义。了解miRNA介导的认知功能调节可能为创新诊断工具和个性化干预打开大门，最终改善患者预后。
