Schizophrenia: From the brain to peripheral markers. A consensus paper of the WFSBP task force on biological markers, World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, Informa Healthcare

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Schizophrenia: From the brain to peripheral markers. A consensus paper of the WFSBP task force on biological markers

2009, Vol. 10, No. 2 , Pages 127-155 (doi:10.1080/15622970902898980)

Gerald Stöber¹ ^†, Dorit Ben-Shachar², M. Cardon¹³, Peter Falkai³, Alfred N. Fonteh⁴, Micha Gawlik¹, Birte Y. Glenthoj⁵, Edna Grünblatt¹, Assen Jablensky⁶, Yong-Ku Kim⁷, Johannes Kornhuber⁸, Thomas F. McNeil⁹, Norbert Müller¹⁰, Bob Oranje⁵, Toshikazu Saito¹¹, Mohamed Saoud¹², Andrea Schmitt³, Michal Schwartz¹³, Johannes Thome¹⁴, Marat Uzbekov¹⁵, Nuria Durany¹⁶ and Peter Riederer¹ ^†

¹Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

²Research Laboratorium of Psychobiology, Department of Psychiatry–Rambam Medical Center, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Bat Galim, Haifa, Israel

³Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

⁴Molecular Neurology Program, Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena, CA, USA

⁵Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen University, Glostrup, Denmark

⁶Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

⁷Department of Psychiatry, Korea University College of Medicine, Ansan Hospital, Ansan City, Korea

⁸Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany

⁹Unit of Psychiatric Epidemiology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden

¹⁰Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany

¹¹Department of Neurology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan

¹²SHU de Psychiatrie, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bron-Lyon, France

¹³The Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Neurobiology, Rehovot, 76100, Israel

¹⁴Academic Unit of Psychiatry, Institute of Life Science, The School of Medicine, University of Wales Swansea, Swansea, UK

¹⁵Department of Brain Pathology, Research Institute of Psychiatry, Moscow, Russia

¹⁶Department of Medicine, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

^†Correspondence: Gerald Stöber, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, 97080, Würzburg, Germany stoeber_g@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de

^†Correspondence: Peter Riederer, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, 97080, Würzburg, Germany riederer_p@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de

Objective. The phenotypic complexity, together with the multifarious nature of the so-called “schizophrenic psychoses”, limits our ability to form a simple and logical biologically based hypothesis for the disease group. Biological markers are defined as biochemical, physiological or anatomical traits that are specific to particular conditions. An important aim of biomarker discovery is the detection of disease correlates that can be used as diagnostic tools. Method. A selective review of the WFSBP Task Force on Biological Markers in schizophrenia is provided from the central nervous system to phenotypes, functional brain systems, chromosomal loci with potential genetic markers to the peripheral systems. Results. A number of biological measures have been proposed to be correlated with schizophrenia. At present, not a single biological trait in schizophrenia is available which achieves sufficient specificity, selectivity and is based on causal pathology and predictive validity to be recommended as diagnostic marker. Conclusions. With the emergence of new technologies and rigorous phenotypic subclassification the identification of genetic bases and assessment of dynamic disease related alterations will hopefully come to a new stage in the complex field of psychiatric research.