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. 2022 Jun 10:13:896694.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.896694. eCollection 2022.

Cognitive Impairment and Psychopathology Are Related to Plasma Oxidative Stress in Long Term Hospitalized Patients With Chronic Schizophrenia

Man Yang  1 , Jin Li  2 , Haidong Yang  1 , Linya Yan  1 , Dongliang Liu  1 , Lin Zhu  3 , Xiaobin Zhang  2
Affiliations

Cognitive Impairment and Psychopathology Are Related to Plasma Oxidative Stress in Long Term Hospitalized Patients With Chronic Schizophrenia

Man Yang et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: The present study aimed to examine whether plasma oxidative stress is associated with cognitive impairment in long term hospitalized patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Method: Ninety-six chronic schizophrenia patients and 94 healthy unaffected subjects were enrolled. Plasma markers of oxidative stress, including malondialdehyde (MDA), manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), were measured. Psychiatric symptoms and cognitive function were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), respectively.

Results: Plasma MDA levels and MnSOD and GSH-Px activities were significantly lower in schizophrenia patients than in healthy controls (P < 0.001), while plasma CAT activity was higher than in healthy controls (P < 0.005). Cognitive scores on the RBANS and all of its five subscales (all P < 0.001) were significantly lower in schizophrenia patients than in healthy unaffected subjects. CAT and GSH-Px activities were positively correlated with the cognitive function scores corresponding to Visuospatial/Constructional abilities in the patient group (r = 0.298, 0.213, respectively, P < 0.05). Also, the multiple regression analysis revealed that CAT and GSH-Px activities were independent and separate contributors to the Visuospatial/Constructional index of the RBANS. Meanwhile, CAT activity was negatively correlated with general pathological symptoms (r = -0.307, Bonferroni corrected P = 0.008) and the total score of the PANSS domains (r = -0.299, Bonferroni corrected P = 0.012).

Conclusion: Our results that the reduced of MDA level and the increased CAT activity in plasma in male patients with chronic schizophrenia suggest that redox imbalance may be associated with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and it can induce impaired cognition and psychiatric symptoms.

Keywords: chronic; cognitive function; oxidative stress; psychopathology; schizophrenia.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Correlation between CAT activity and PANSS total score in chronic schizophrenia patients.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation between plasma CAT*GSH-Px and Visuospatial/Constructional score in chronic schizophrenia patients.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation between plasma CAT activity and Visuospatial/Constructional score in chronic schizophrenia patients.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlation between plasma GSH-Px activity and Visuospatial/Constructional score in chronic schizophrenia patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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