Cortisol and C-reactive protein (CRP) regulation in severe mental disorders.

Background: People with schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) show abnormalities in the biological stress system and low-grade inflammation. However, whether the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis-immune regulation is disrupted in SZ and BD, is yet to be determined.

Methods: Cortisol and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in blood samples collected at or before 10 am in participants with SZ (N = 257), BD (N = 153), and healthy controls (N = 40).

Telomere biology and its maintenance in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: Exploring links to cognition.

Objective: Contemporary research suggests reduced telomere length in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SZ) compared to age-adjusted non-affected individuals. However, the role of telomere maintenance and telomere repair in SZ is poorly understood as well as the involvement of telomere biology in cognitive abnormalities in SZ.

Methods: The study consisted of 758 participants (SZ [n = 357] and healthy controls, HC [n = 401]) collected as part of the Norwegian TOP study.

Cognitive and inflammatory heterogeneity in severe mental illness: Translating findings from blood to brain.

Recent findings link cognitive impairment and inflammatory-immune dysregulation in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar (BD) spectrum disorders. However, heterogeneity and translation between the periphery and central (blood-to-brain) mechanisms remains a challenge. Starting with a large SZ, BD and healthy control cohort (n = 1235), we aimed to i) identify candidate peripheral markers (n = 25) associated with cognitive domains (n = 9) and elucidate heterogenous immune-cognitive patterns, ii) evaluate the regulation of candidate markers using human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived astrocytes and neural progenitor cells (n = 10), and iii) evaluate candidate marker messenger RNA expression in leukocytes using microarray in available data from a subsample of the main cohort (n = 776), and in available RNA-sequencing deconvolution analysis of postmortem brain samples (n = 474) from the CommonMind Consortium (CMC).

Toxoplasma gondii infection associated with inflammasome activation and neuronal injury.

Toxoplasma gondii (TOXO) infection typically results in chronic latency due to its ability to form cysts in the brain and other organs. Latent toxoplasmosis could promote innate immune responses and impact brain function. A large body of evidence has linked TOXO infection to severe mental illness (SMI).

Sex differences in autonomic adverse effects related to antipsychotic treatment and associated hormone profiles.

Autonomic adverse effects of antipsychotic drugs (APs) cause clinical challenges, but few studies have investigated sex differences and their underlying biological pathways. Sex-specific regulation of relevant hormones could be involved. We investigated sex differences in autonomic adverse effects related to olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, and aripiprazole, and the role of hormones related to APs.