The clock is ticking on schizophrenia: a study protocol for a translational study integrating phenotypic, genomic, microbiome and biomolecular data to overcome disability.

Background: Shared biological factors may play a role in both the cognitive deficits and the increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome observed in individuals with Schizophrenia (SCZ). These factors could entail disturbances in tryptophan (Trp) to both melatonin (MLT) and kynurenine (Kyn) metabolic pathways, as well as inflammation and alterations in the gut microbiome composition.

Methods: The present research project aims to investigate this hypothesis by recruiting 170 SCZ patients from two different recruitment sites, assessing their cognitive functions and screening for the presence of metabolic syndrome.

The cognitive architecture of verbal humor in schizophrenia.

Previous literature showed that people with schizophrenia have difficulties in humor comprehension and might differ from controls in the appreciation of humor, i.e., in perceived funniness.

Neuroinflammation and kynurenines in schizophrenia: Impact on cognition depending on cognitive functioning and modulatory properties in relation to cognitive remediation and aerobic exercise.

Background: In the last decade, the kynurenine pathway (KP) has gained attention in the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia being at the croassroad between neuroinflammation and glutamatergic and cholinergic neurotransmission. However, clinical findings are scarse and conflicting, and the specific contributions of these two systems to the neurobiology of cognitive symptoms are far from being elucidated. Furthermore, little is known about the molecular underpinnings of non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive improvement, including rehabilitation strategies.