The relationship of morphometric changes of the brain with IL-6 levels, systemic inflammation and immune disturbances in the patients with schizophrenia

Abstract Schizophrenia is a chronic disease characterized by psychosis, behavioral, cognitive and social impairments. It is accompanied by structural and functional changes in the brain. To confirm the significance of morphometric changes, it is important to establish relationships between structural changes in the brain, clinical symptoms, and the level of biomarkers reflecting the pathogenesis of the disease, including immunological markers. The aim of this work was to assess the relationship of interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels with systemic inflammation, immune activation and with the results of neuroimaging in schizophrenia. The study included 60 patients with schizophrenia, 25 healthy volunteers. MRI scanning and the assessment of key immunological parameters was performed. It was found that the patients had significant negative correlations between IL-6 levels and a number of structural MRI indicators. Patients with a marked increase in IL-6 levels (>15 pg / ml) had a reduced mean curvature in the left lingual gyrus and a reduced gyrification index in the left fusiform gyrus compared with the control group. The level of IL-6 was associated with signs of systemic inflammation and immune activation in the patients. Thus, in this work, an immunological profile in schizophrenia associated with an increase in IL-6 and with morphometric changes of the brain was characterized for the first time. In further studies, we plan to evaluate morphometric changes in patients with various immunological phenotypes of schizophrenia, clinical course of the disease, and factors of genetic predisposition.