Summary: A major finding from researchers at Houston Methodist reveals a significant number of people diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder may actually have a treatable immune system disorder. The condition causes NMDA receptors to stop functioning properly and can result in symptoms commonly associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.
Source: Houston Methodist.
Researchers at Houston Methodist believe that a significant number of people diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder may actually have a treatable immune system condition. A new research study could have a significant impact on the millions diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, including many homeless.
The study was inspired by the 2007 discovery of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a disease that causes symptoms similar to schizophrenia or bipolar disorder but can be treated with existing immunotherapy medications.
“We suspect that a significant number of people believed to have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder actually have an immune system disorder that affects the brain’s receptors,” said Joseph Masdeu, M.D., Ph.D., the study’s principal investigator and a neurologist with the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute. “If true, those people have diseases that are completely reversible – they just need a proper diagnosis and treatment to help them return to normal lives.”
The immune system normally produces antibodies to attack foreign substances in the body, such as bacteria. When this process goes wrong, antibodies are produced that attack receptors in the brain, causing the receptor to stop listening to the signals being sent to it. In cases of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, antibodies attack N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the brain.
