OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to compare the White Blood Cell count and morphology in the Cerebrospinal fluid of:1) patients diagnosed with first onset treatment naive schizophrenia; 2) patients with chronic schizophrenia and 3) healthy subjects.
METHODOLOGY: CSF samples from 16 chronic schizophrenics, 15 first onset treatment naive schizophrenics and normal controls were collected and analyzed by histopathology.
RESULTS: The cytological profile of CSF cells were significantly different from those of the control population. Total cell count was significantly higher in patients with first onset and chronic schizophrenia compared to normal subjects except in neutrophils. There was also a difference in the mean number of cells among groups, with chronic schizophrenics having the most number of large lymphocytes compared to first onset schizophrenia and control groups. The number of macrophages and neutrophils were not statistically significant.
CONCLUSION: The finding of atypical lymphocytes in the CSF suggest that immunologic aberration does occur in schizophrenia and point towards a chronic degenerative process.

Human ; Schizophrenia ; Lymphocytes ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Macrophages ; Leukocyte Count

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine whether there was a correlation between structural brain abnormalities among the different symptom subsets of schizophrenia. METHODOLOGY: Male chronic schizophrenics from Bocaue, Bulacan were screened using the Positive & Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and were then subjected to cranial CT scan. Measurements of the lateral ventricles, third ventricle and interhemispheric fissure were obtained and compared with measurements of normal controls. Values were also compared between positive and negative subsets. RESULTS: Using the Kruskall-Wallis test for 2 groups with 95% confidence interval, it was shown that there was no statistical difference in any of the measurements between control and schizophrenic patients, as well as between the positive and negative symptom subset. CONCLUSION This study did not support the findings of the previously cited reports. Measurements of the schizophrenic group were statistically negligible when compared with the normal and were also insignificant between symptom subsets.
Humans ; Schizophrenia ;