Interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-2 in cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenic subjects.

1. It has been postulated that the interrelated processes of neurodegeneration, neuroplasticity, and neuroimmunological abnormalities may play a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Since, interleukins are produced in the central nervous system and have cytokine and growth promoting properties, they are an obvious choice to consider in these neural processes. 2. Cerebrospinal fluid obtained from schizophrenic patients, on and off medications, and from normal controls was assayed for interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) using a sensitive enzyme-linked immunoassay. 3. IL-1 alpha concentration were below the detection limits of the assay in both controls and schizophrenics. 4. IL-2 levels were under 1 ng/ml CSF in nearly all subjects. There was no significant difference in IL-2 levels between medicated and medication-free schizophrenics or when patients were compared to controls.