Apoptosis in schizophrenia: genetic and psychopharmalogical factors

A comprehensive evaluation of the indices of the programmed cell death was carried out in 10 patients with schizophrenia, 10 their relatives, 20 patients with residual schizophrenia and in 20 age- and sex-matched controls. We observed significantly increased cells' apoptosis of schizophrenic patients as the percentage of lymphocytes with expression Fas-receptors, also as cells with morphological changes characteristic of apoptosis (nuclear condensation, vacuolation, and blebbing). We have not found out any case of neutropenia and agranulocytosis in the process of the therapy with atypical neuroleptic. The normalisation of number neutrophiles with attributes apoptosis was observed after the conducted treatment, at the same time number lymphocytes with fragmentary nucleus statistical did not change. Atypical neuroleptic does not lead to increase physiological programmed cell death. Thus, genetic and pharmacological factors have various value in an induction cells' apoptosis of peripheral blood in patients with schizophrenia.