Intrathecal Thyroid Autoantibody Synthesis in a Subgroup of Patients With Schizophreniform Syndromes

Schizophreniform syndromes in combination with autoimmune thyroiditis and increased serum thyroid antibodies lead healthcare practitioners to consider a diagnosis of Hashimoto's encephalopathy. To detect specific biomarkers, the authors analyzed whether intrathecal antithyroid antibody synthesis occurred in a subgroup of schizophreniform patients. In doing so, the authors analyzed thyroid antibodies in paired cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples from 100 schizophreniform patients. Increased antibody indices (AIs) for antithyroid peroxidase or antithyroglobulin autoantibodies in 13 schizophreniform patients were found. AIs were increased in 68% of the seropositive patients. These findings support the hypothesis that autoimmune processes may contribute to the pathophysiology in these patients.