Publications by authors named "Esma Mezouad"
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a set of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental conditions defined by impaired social interactions and repetitive behaviors. The number of reported cases has increased over the past decades, and ASD is now a major public health burden. So far, only treatments to alleviate symptoms are available, with still unmet need for an effective disease treatment to reduce ASD core symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSchizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorders (BD) are severe mental illnesses that lack reliable biomarkers to guide diagnosis and management. As immune dysregulation is associated with these disorders, we utilized the immunoregulatory functions of the natural killer cell inhibitory HLA-E locus to investigate the relationships between HLA-E genetic and expression diversities with SZ and BD risk and severity. Four hundred and forty-four patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for SZ (N = 161) or BD (N = 283) were compared to 160 heathy controls (HC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Mitochondria are crucial for energy in cells, and their dysfunction may lead to issues like premature aging and inflammation, which are seen in bipolar disorder (BD).
- A study compared mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) in 312 BD patients across different mood phases (manic, depressive, euthymic) and 180 healthy controls, finding lower mtDNAcn in BD patients, especially during manic phases.
- Low mtDNAcn levels were associated with worse mood and psychotic symptoms, while being linked to higher inflammatory markers. These findings could help in predicting mood changes and improving treatment options for BD if confirmed.