DIFFERENTIAL APPEARANCE OF AUTOANTIBODIES TO HUMAN BRAIN S100 PROTEIN, NEURON SPECIFIC ENOLASE AND MYELIN BASIC-PROTEIN IN PSYCHIATRIC-PATIENTS

Sera from psychiatric patients (32 with senile dementia, 36 with Alzheimer's disease, 189 with schizophrenia, 117 with manic-depressive psychoses, 52 with other nonorganic psychoses, 44 with paranoid state, 58 with neurotic depression and 78 with alcoholic syndrome), normal subjects (112 blood donors) and 43 hospitalized elderly patients with chronic cardiac failures without senile syndrome were examined by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the presence of autoantibodies to human brain S100 protein, neuron specific enolase (NSE) and myelin basic protein (MBP). These varied antibrain autoantibodies occurred at different frequencies. The highest incidence of anti-SlOO and anti-NSE antibodies was in Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia, than in manic-depressive and other nonorganic psychoses, and the lowest in paranoid state, neurotic depression, schizophrenia and alcoholic syndrome. The frequency of anti-S100 autoantibodies was higher than that of anti-NSE. Autoantibodies reacting with MBP were revealed in a very small number of psychiatric patients. In healthy individuals and control cardiac patients, the incidence of antibrain autoantibodies was low. These results suggest a differential correlation between antibrain autoantibodies and psychiatric diseases. © 1991 Informa UK Ltd All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted.