TY - JOUR
T1 - Exposure to Epstein Barr virus and cognitive functioning in individuals with schizophrenia
AU - Dickerson, Faith
AU - Katsafanas, Emily
AU - Origoni, Andrea
AU - Squire, Amalia
AU - Khushalani, Sunil
AU - Newman, Theresa
AU - Rowe, Kelly
AU - Stallings, Cassie
AU - Savage, Christina L.G.
AU - Sweeney, Kevin
AU - Nguyen, Tanya T.
AU - Breier, Alan
AU - Goff, Donald
AU - Ford, Glen
AU - Jones-Brando, Lorraine
AU - Yolken, Robert
N1 - Funding Information:
The study was supported by grants R34MH100296 to D Goff; SMRI 15T-001 to F Dickerson; SMRI 13T-018 to A Breier; K23 MH118435 to TT Nguyen.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/2
Y1 - 2021/2
N2 - Cognitive deficits are a central feature of schizophrenia whose etiology is not fully understood. Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) is a potentially neurotropic infectious agent that can generate persistent infections with immunomodulatory effects. Previous studies have found an association between EBV antibodies and cognitive functioning in different populations, but there has been limited investigation in schizophrenia. In this study, 84 individuals with schizophrenia were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Participants also provided a blood sample, from which antibodies to the EBV whole virion and specific proteins were measured. Multivariate models were constructed to determine the association between these antibodies and cognitive performance on the MCCB overall and domain scores. Using these models, we found a significant association between the MCCB overall percent composite score and level of antibodies to the EBV Nuclear Antigen-1 (EBNA-1) protein, the Viral Capsid Antigen (VCA) protein, and the EBV whole virion. A significant association was also found for the MCCB social cognition domain with the level of antibodies to the EBV Nuclear Antigen-1 (EBNA-1) protein, the Viral Capsid Antigen (VCA) protein, and the EBV whole virion. In all cases, a higher level of antibodies was associated with a lower level cognitive performance. These findings suggest that exposure to EBV may contribute to cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, a finding which may have implications for new methods of prevention and treatment.
AB - Cognitive deficits are a central feature of schizophrenia whose etiology is not fully understood. Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) is a potentially neurotropic infectious agent that can generate persistent infections with immunomodulatory effects. Previous studies have found an association between EBV antibodies and cognitive functioning in different populations, but there has been limited investigation in schizophrenia. In this study, 84 individuals with schizophrenia were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Participants also provided a blood sample, from which antibodies to the EBV whole virion and specific proteins were measured. Multivariate models were constructed to determine the association between these antibodies and cognitive performance on the MCCB overall and domain scores. Using these models, we found a significant association between the MCCB overall percent composite score and level of antibodies to the EBV Nuclear Antigen-1 (EBNA-1) protein, the Viral Capsid Antigen (VCA) protein, and the EBV whole virion. A significant association was also found for the MCCB social cognition domain with the level of antibodies to the EBV Nuclear Antigen-1 (EBNA-1) protein, the Viral Capsid Antigen (VCA) protein, and the EBV whole virion. In all cases, a higher level of antibodies was associated with a lower level cognitive performance. These findings suggest that exposure to EBV may contribute to cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, a finding which may have implications for new methods of prevention and treatment.
KW - Cognitive
KW - Herpesvirus
KW - Infection
KW - Schizophrenia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099186192&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85099186192&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.schres.2020.12.018
DO - 10.1016/j.schres.2020.12.018
M3 - Article
C2 - 33450604
AN - SCOPUS:85099186192
SN - 0920-9964
VL - 228
SP - 193
EP - 197
JO - Schizophrenia Research
JF - Schizophrenia Research
ER -