Skip to main content

STUDY PROTOCOL article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Schizophrenia
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1451678

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

Provisionally accepted
Giacomo Mercuriali Giacomo Mercuriali 1Lorenzo Lodde Lorenzo Lodde 2Pasquale Paribello Pasquale Paribello 2Jacopo Sapienza Jacopo Sapienza 1Alice Corona Alice Corona 2Chiara ave Chiara ave 1Delia Pacini Delia Pacini 2Daniela Nocera Daniela Nocera 1Carolina Corrias Carolina Corrias 2Sabrina El Kacemi Sabrina El Kacemi 2Michele D’Incalzi Michele D’Incalzi 2Ilaria Frau Ilaria Frau 2Elena Monzani Elena Monzani 1Flavia Valtorta Flavia Valtorta 1Donatella Congiu Donatella Congiu 2Anna Meloni Anna Meloni 2Maria Scherma Maria Scherma 2Paola Fadda Paola Fadda 2Simona Dedoni Simona Dedoni 2Carlotta Siddi Carlotta Siddi 2Stefania Sut Stefania Sut 3Stefano Dall'Acqua Stefano Dall'Acqua 3Sofia Nasini Sofia Nasini 3Benedetta Barzon Benedetta Barzon 3Alessio Squassina Alessio Squassina 2Roberto Cavallaro Roberto Cavallaro 1Mirko Manchia Mirko Manchia 2Claudia Pisanu Claudia Pisanu 2Marta Bosia Marta Bosia 1Stefano Comai Stefano Comai 3*
  • 1 San Raffaele Hospital (IRCCS), Milan, Lombardy, Italy
  • 2 University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
  • 3 University of Padua, Padua, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    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.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. Additionally, we plan to assess the impact of a 3-month cognitive remediation therapy on 30 of these patients. We will analyse clinical data alongside serum biomarkers and gene expression related to the Trp-to MLT and Kyn metabolic pathways, markers of inflammatory and composition of the gut microbiome. The association between Trp-MLT-Kyn levels, expression levels of selected genes, inflammatory markers and clinical phenotypes will be analysed in the context of general linear models.Discussion: This project has the potential to identify some typical SCZ symptomatic clusters that will be more stringently associated with variations in the Trp-MLT-Kyn/inflammatory system and with a better response to cognitive remediation therapy. Moreover, in a future perspective, it may highlight a group of patients who may benefit from a pharmacological treatment aiming at reinstating the physiological Trp to MLT and Kyn system. Therefore, it has the potential to move research toward a personalized approach for SCZ management.

    Keywords: Schizophrenia, Cognitive Function, metabolic syndrome, Tryptophan, Kynurenine, Melatonin system, microbiota

    Received: 19 Jun 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Mercuriali, Lodde, Paribello, Sapienza, Corona, ave, Pacini, Nocera, Corrias, El Kacemi, D’Incalzi, Frau, Monzani, Valtorta, Congiu, Meloni, Scherma, Fadda, Dedoni, Siddi, Sut, Dall'Acqua, Nasini, Barzon, Squassina, Cavallaro, Manchia, Pisanu, Bosia and Comai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Stefano Comai, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.