Anti-neuronal antibodies in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Schizophrenia is the most complex and overwhelming mental disorder. Agreement on what symptoms are considered for schizophrenia has major importance for clinicians and researchers that work on this disorder since it vanquishes many obstacles. However, many complications remain and preclude having a better understanding of schizophrenia. First, the cause of schizophrenia is unclear. Second, the translation of the molecular alterations to behavioral phenotypes is unknown, and lastly, the origin of the neuroanatomical changes remains unsolved. Anti-neuronal antibodies are found in autoimmune encephalitis and paraneoplastic disorders affecting the nervous system but also antineuronal antibodies have links with other several neurologic disorders, even psychiatric disorders. The importance of anti-neuronal antibodies in patients with psychiatric disorders is unclear, and studies are still progressing on this matter. The purpose of this review was to investigate the link between schizophrenia and anti-neuronal antibodies.