How does the entry in a psychosis ?

SMOCK JOHN/SIPA

Published the 05.12.2017 at 22h49

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Keywords :

schizophréniepsychosebiomarqueur

The first signs of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, usually affects young adults under 30 years of age, an age where the entry in the disease may have major consequences on the future. Even before the first symptoms of delirium, or paranoia, the characteristics of the true psychotic episode, some specific signs such as isolation, aggression, the different perception of the environment, or the fixed ideas that can alert.

Epigenetics in question

To better understand what happens between the evaluation of certain symptoms to be at risk, and the development of the disease, a research team from the University of Paris Descartes, the Inserm and the Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne, under the direction of Professor Marie-Odile Krebs, has studied the genetic characteristics at the time of the emergence of a psychotic episode in a group of young people at risk aged 15 to 25 years.

Search for an early biomarker of the disease

Although there are some assessment tools to identify a ” mental state at risk “, only one-third of those patients at risk will develop a psychotic disorder within three years. To study the entry in the psychosis, the team of researchers therefore compared the profile of individuals in whom a psychotic episode occurs and those that do not trigger the disease.

Epigenetic changes

The team highlighted changes in ” epigenetic “, that is to say, about the way in which genes will be expressed as a function of the environment, which are undermining the systems of response to oxidative stress and inflammation, breaking the fragile balance of dopamine in the brain. This inflammation can easily be detected by blood samples.

To tests for the detection of more early

This new light allows you to better understand the biological mechanism of entry into the psychosis and opens the way for the development of tests for the detection of more early and to a monitoring of the progression of the disease in these at-risk populations.

Kebir O, et al, Methylomic changes during conversion to psychosis. Mol Psychiatry. 2017 Apr;22(4):512-518.