Do Microorganisms Have a Role in Neuropsychiatric Diseases?

Do Microorganisms Have a Role in Neuropsychiatric Diseases?

Pelin Yuksel, Bekir Kocazeybek

The importance of enviromental factors in the development of psychiatric diseases are well known. Accordingly, it is important to investigate the role of infections in neuropsychiatric disorders. The infectious hypothesis, which is particularly strong for schizophrenia, is based more on scientific clinical observations and retrospective cohort seroepidemiological studies rather than specific pathological findings at the molecular level. Research in this field has focused on identifying an infectious etiopathology for three neuropsychiatric diseases. In schizophrenia a strong association has been found between Toxoplasma gondii infection and disease. However, additional infectious agents like Borna disease vırus, herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, measles, influenza, other respiratory viruses, Coronaviruses, human endogenous retrovırus, West Nile viruses, cytomegalovirus, are also proposed to play a role in the etiopathogenesis in this disease. A similar association between bipolar disorder and viruses/other infectious agents has been reported. This work has mainly concentrated on T. gondii and the members of the Herpesviridae family, herpes simplex virus type 1 and cytomegalovirus. A few reports in the literature have also found a relationship between major depression and human endogenous retroviruses. In conclusion, when investigating the relationship between neuropsychiatric diseases (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression) and infection, we suggest that a series of prospective long-term studies with large cohorts are necessary to unravel the etiology of these disorders.

2013

Schizopherina, Bipolar disorder, major depression, infectious agents

DOI:

Flora Infeksiyon Hastalıkları ve Klinik Mikrobiyoloji Dergisi

Bilimsel Tip Yayinevi

Infectious and parasitic diseases, Microbiology

EN, TR