Increasing evidence has pointed towards the implication of inflammation in schizophrenia, and patients with schizophrenia have increased pro-inflammatory markers and a higher prevalence of inflammatory diseases. In addition, genetic studies have pointed towards the role of the immune system in schizophrenia and RCTs have found antipsychotic effects of anti-inflammatory drugs. The causal relationship of these findings still remains less well understood.
This Research Topic will be a selection of Review and Original Research articles focusing on several important aspects of the potential schizophrenia-inflammation association. It will range from the genetic links, findings of inflammation and inflammatory diseases in schizophrenia, the gut-microbiome-brain axis, the role of autoimmune antibodies, whether specific infectious agents may cause schizophrenia, to the possibility of using anti-inflammatory drugs in schizophrenia and measuring neuroinflammation and microglial activity via brain scans. Furthermore, the potential causal relationships will be discussed in separate expert reviews.
Increasing evidence has pointed towards the implication of inflammation in schizophrenia, and patients with schizophrenia have increased pro-inflammatory markers and a higher prevalence of inflammatory diseases. In addition, genetic studies have pointed towards the role of the immune system in schizophrenia and RCTs have found antipsychotic effects of anti-inflammatory drugs. The causal relationship of these findings still remains less well understood.
This Research Topic will be a selection of Review and Original Research articles focusing on several important aspects of the potential schizophrenia-inflammation association. It will range from the genetic links, findings of inflammation and inflammatory diseases in schizophrenia, the gut-microbiome-brain axis, the role of autoimmune antibodies, whether specific infectious agents may cause schizophrenia, to the possibility of using anti-inflammatory drugs in schizophrenia and measuring neuroinflammation and microglial activity via brain scans. Furthermore, the potential causal relationships will be discussed in separate expert reviews.