Prostaglandins and schizophrenia: a review.

1. Clinical observations and experimental findings are rendered which have raised the possibility that schizophrenia may be related to PGE deficiency and/or excess. 2. In favor of PGE1 deficiency are the findings that ADP-induced increase in synthesis and PGE1 stimulated cAMP accumulation are significantly lower in platelets of schizophrenic patients than in normal controls. 3. In favor of PGE excess are the findings that the concentration of immunoreactive PGE in cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenics is higher than that of healthy controls, neurotic patients and patients undergoing neurological examination. 4. An argument against the PG excess hypothesis is that paracetamol, a substance which reduces PG levels has no therapeutic effect in schizophrenia. 5. The two hypotheses--PGE deficiency and PGE excess--are not compatible because of the bell shape dose response curve with PG's in certain biological systems.