Abstrakt
Background: Encephalitis with antibodies against N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) is classified as an autoimmune disorder with psychotic symptoms, which are frequently domi-nant. However, it remains unclear how frequently NMDA-R antibodies lead to a condition that mimics psychosis and first-episode schizophrenia.
In our work, we investigated the presence of antibodies against NMDA-R in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) in comparison with healthy volunteers. Methods: This study included 50 antipsychotic-naïve patients with FEP (including 21 women) and 50 healthy volunteers (including 21 women).
The mean age of the patients was 27.4 (+-7.4) years and that of the healthy controls was 27.0 (+-7.3) years. Antibodies against NMDA-R in the serum were detected by immunofluorescence.
Results: None of the investigated patients with an FEP and none of the healthy controls showed positive antibodies against NMDA-Rs. Conclusion: According to results of studies, a small proportion of patients with an FEP pos-sess antibodies against NMDA-R.
However, the extent to which this finding contributes to the etiopathogenesis of the response to antipsychotic medication and whether immunomodulatory therapy is indicated in these cases remains uncertain.