Background And Hypothesis: The complex immune-brain interactions and the regulatory role of mitochondria in the immune response suggest that mitochondrial damage reported in schizophrenia (SZ) may be related to abnormalities observed in immune and brain functions.
Study Design: Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA CN), a biomarker of mitochondrial function, was assessed in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) of 121 healthy individuals and 118 SZ patients before and after 8 weeks of antipsychotic treatment, and a meta-analysis related to blood mtDNA CN was conducted. Plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in SZ patients were obtained from the medical record system.