GDNF, EGF and IGF-1 Levels in Acute and Remitted Schizophrenia Patients and Their Association with Symptom Severity: A Prospective Study

The research explores difference of GDNF, EGF and IGF-1 levels between acute/remitted schizophrenia patients and healthy controls and associates their levels with symptom severity. GDNF was found to be significantly lower in schizophrenia patients at 8th week (remitted) than in healthy controls, IGF-1 was found to be significantly lower in schizophrenia patients at 4th week and 8th week; EGF levels were found to be significantly lower at all measurement times (baseline(acute), 4th and 8th week(remitted)). At 8th week there is significantly negative correlation of all marker levels with PANSS negative and PANSS total scores. Calgary Depression Scale of Schizophrenia also was done to schizophrenia patients at all measurement times in order to exclude comorbid depression that might contributes different marker levels.