Talk 2 had been withdrawn at the request of the author.
****************************************************************************************************************** "Systemic Inflammation and Intelligence in Early Adulthood and Subsequent Risk of Schizophrenia and Other Non-Affective Psychoses: A Longitudinal Cohort and Co-Relative Study"
Golam Khandaker1, Nils Kappelmann1, Henrik Dal2, Jan Stochl1, Kyriaki Kosidou2,3, Peter Jones1, Christina Dalman2,3, Håkan Karlsson2,3; 1University of Cambridge, 2Stockholm County Council, 3Karolinska Institutet
We examined associations between erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), a marker of systemic inflammation, IQ, a measure of general intelligence, and subsequent schizophrenia and other non-affective psychoses (ONAP) to elucidate potential role of neurodevelopment and inflammation in pathogenesis of psychosis. Population-based data on ESR and IQ from 638,213 Swedish men assessed during military conscription between 1969 and 1983 were linked to National Hospital Discharge Register for hospitalisation with schizophrenia and ONAP. The associations of ESR with IQ (cross-sectional) and psychoses (longitudinal) were investigated using linear and Cox-regression. Co-relative analysis was used to examine effects of shared familial confounding. We examined mediation and moderation of effect between ESR and IQ on psychosis risk. Baseline IQ was associated with subsequent risk of schizophrenia (adjusted HR per 1-point increase in IQ=0.961; 95% CI: 0.960-0.963) and ONAP (adjusted HR=0.973; 95% CI: 0.971-0.975). Higher ESR was associated with lower IQ in a dose-response fashion. High ESR was associated with increased risk for schizophrenia (adjusted HR=1.14; 95% CI: 1.01-1.28) and decreased risk for ONAP (adjusted HR=0.85; 95% CI: 0.74-0.96), although these effects were specific to one ESR band (7-10mm/hr). Familial confounding explained ESR-IQ but not ESR-psychoses associations. IQ partly mediated the ESR-psychosis relationships. Low-grade systemic inflammation is associated with increased risk of schizophrenia in adulthood. Inflammation may influence schizophrenia risk by affecting neurodevelopment.
