[Diseases of phospholipid metabolism as possible pathogenetic factors in schizophrenia. Current findings and critical...

During the last few years analyses of the lipidmetabolism have been performed on schizophrenic patients. Anabolic and katabolic metabolite-concentrations from blood and cell samples have been measured. By means of new investigation techniques, such as 31P-magnetic-resonance-spectroscopy, it is nowadays even possible to determine membrane metabolites non-invasively in vivo. Arachidonic acid deficits in peripheral cell membranes, turnover of phosphodiesters in the brain, increased phospholipase A2 (PLA2)-activity in serum and blood cells, disturbed niacin-response and abnormalities of the PLA2-gene are summarised as phospholipid-membrane-hypothesis of schizophrenia. Although there is some evidence for correlations between those findings and psychotic symptoms, the connection to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia still has speculative character. Furthermore it has to be confirmed that peripheral biochemical findings acquired in schizophrenics are transferable to the metabolism of the central nervous system. Actual results of enzyme and metabolite measurements reported in literature and current findings of our own 31P-MR-spectroscopic studies are surveyed and summarised. To point out possible connections between the phospholipid-metabolism of the central nervous system and of peripheral blood-cells, systemic approaches are considered.