Short-chain fatty acids in patients with schizophrenia and ultra-high risk population

作者：Huiqing Peng, Lijun Ouyang, David Li, Zongchang Li, Yuan Liu, Lejia Fan, Aijun Liao, Jinguang Li, Yisen Wei, Zihao Yang, Xiaoqian Ma, Xiaogang Chen, Ying He · 发表于：Frontiers in Psychiatry · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.3389/fpsyt.2022.977538 · 被引用次数：31 · 研究领域：Gut microbiota and health、Tryptophan and brain disorders、Schizophrenia research and treatment

Background Individuals who experience the prodromal phase of schizophrenia (SCZ), a common and complex psychiatric disorder, are referred to as ultra-high-risk (UHR) individuals. Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) is imperative in the microbiota-gut-brain axis and brain function. Accumulating amount of evidence shows the connections between psychiatric disorders and SCFAs. This study aims to explore the underlying roles SCFAs play in SCZ by investigating the association of alterations in SCFAs concentrations with common cognitive functions in both the SCZ and UHR populations. Methods The study recruited 59 SCZ patients (including 15 participants converted from the UHR group), 51 UHR participants, and 40 healthy controls (HC) within a complete follow-up of 2 years. Results of cognitive functions, which were assessed by utilizing HVLT-R and TMT, and serum concentrations of SCFAs were obtained for all participants and for UHR individuals at the time of their conversion to SCZ. Results Fifteen UHR participants converted to SCZ within a 2-year follow-up. Valeric acid concentration levels were lower in both the baseline of UHR individuals whom later converted to SCZ ( p = 0.046) and SCZ patients ( p = 0.036) than the HC group. Additionally, there were lower concentrations of caproic acid in the baseline of UHR individuals whom later transitioned to SCZ ( p = 0.019) and the UHR group ( p = 0.016) than the HC group. Furthermore, the caproic acid levels in the UHR group are significantly p...