Archives of General Psychiatry, 2003; in press
Antibodies to Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Is
Associated With Cognitive Deficits in Individuals With Schizophrenia
Faith B. Dickerson, John J. Boronow, Cassie
Stallings, Andrea E. Origoni, Inna Ruslanova, Robert H. Yolken
BACKGROUND: Cognitive deficits are a
characteristic feature of schizophrenia and contribute to the profound
disabilities associated with this illness. Some of the cognitive deficits
which occur in individuals with schizophrenia are similar to those found in
individuals who have recovered from central nervous system infections with human
herpesviruses.
METHODS: We measured cognitive functioning and
serological evidence of infection with human herpesviruses in 229 outpatients
with schizophrenia. Cognitive functioning was evaluated with the
Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS).
For each patient, serum IgG class antibodies with specificities for the
following potentially neurotropic human herpesviruses were measured by solid
phase immunoassay: herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1), herpes simplex virus
type 2 (HSV-2), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human herpes
virus 6 (HHV-6), and varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The association between
serologic evidence of herpesvirus infection and cognitive functioning was
determined by univariate analyses as well as multivariate analyses which
included demographic and clinical factors associated with cognitive functioning.
RESULTS: We found that serological evidence of
infection with HSV-1 is an independent predictor of cognitive dysfunction in
individuals with schizophrenia. Discriminant function analysis indicated
that much of the difference in cognitive functioning could be attributed to
immediate memory. We found no significant association between cognitive
dysfunction and serological evidence of infection with other human herpesviruses
CONCLUSIONS: Serological evidence of HSV-1
infection is associated with cognitive impairment in schizophrenia.