HLA-A2 antigen in schizophrenic patients with reversed cerebral asymmetry

The frequency of HLA-A2 was examined in 32 black and 22 white schizophrenic patients separated into two groups according to whether they had normal or reversed cerebral hemisphere asymmetries as determined by computed tomography. The black patients with reversed asymmetry had a significantly greater frequency of HLA-A2 as compared to black patients with normal asymmetry and a black normal control group. There were no significant differences for any other A, B or C antigens. These findings also held when only the 22 black patients without evidence of brain atrophy were studied. The results for the white patients were in the same direction but did not reach statistical significance. These findings suggest that, at least for black schizophrenic patients, reversed cerebral asymmetry is associated with an increased frequency of HLA-A2.