The Virus Theory for Schizophrenia: Is it Science Fiction?

A British group (6) found an "agent" in the cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenics that was "cytopathic". However, all tests for a virus failed. No virus was found. The "agent" was probably a toxin. It could not be passaged from one culture to another.

However, Mesa (1, 2) reported a virus in schizophrenia. However, his inoculation of chicken embryos demonstrated a toxic factor. This experiment (2), although valuable, did not differentiate between a toxin and a virus. Mesa deserves an A for effort, but there have been many negative reports in the search for a virus.

Mesa

Mesa has reported alterations of cell membranes in schizophrenia. He has published reports in both English and Spanish. Dr. Mesa is from Havana, Cuba.

"In all these studies (nervous system and blood) we have observed deep alterations of cellular membranes with formation of big vacuoles, widened of the nuclear envelope in neurons, proliferation of cell membranes and in general a great relation of membranes structures to the origin of the virus particles." Mesa

He reported fibrillar material, but viruses do not take on this shape. He reported "inclusion bodies". He reported "intranuclear filamentous inclusions".

Platelets

In addition to studying neurons, Mesa also studied platelets. He found "big vacuoles in platelets with fibrillar material and virus like particles within these vacuoles". Amazingly this work has been almost completely ignored in the US. Then again, my work has been almost completely ignored in the US, and I am in the US. In my opinion his work should have created a sensation.

Glycogen granules were seen in the platelets. This caught my attention since it is consistent with my own theory of impaired glucose metabolism.

Dr. Mesa works at the Psychiatric Hospital of Havana. His full name is Segundo Mesa Castillo.

My Own Theories

My own theories are presented in Refs. 22-25. These are free full text articles at Associated Content. Some of Mesa's articles are available free full text at www.wpanet.org, which is the website of the World Psychiatric Association. His articles and Powerpoint presentations are in the Education section. Some are in English and some are in Spanish.

Conclusions

There is some evidence in favor of the virus theory. Numerous workers have reported neuropathology in schizophrenia (11-17). However, there been many negative results in efforts to find a virus. The neuropathology could be explained by a toxin.

Also there is no evidence that schizophrenia is catching. Torrey has the bizarre theory that people get schizophrenia from feces from house cats. This theory is science fiction. Nevertheless I would not throw out all of Mesa's work, nor would I throw out all of Torrey's work. That might be throwing out the baby with the bathwater. The virus theory is the bathwater. The toxin is the baby. Much of Mesa's work supports a toxin.

Mesa has found a biological marker for schizophrenia. Further work with independent confirmation is needed. Ref. 18 appears to be an independent confirmation of abnormal platelets (also called thrombocytes). American scientists should study Mesa's test for schizophrenia.

References

1. Mesa CS, Cabrera JS. Estudio de las partículas semejantes a virus observadas en la esquizofrenia. Rev Hosp Psiq Habana 1979; 10: 725-36.

2. Mesa CS, Sosa ES, Niebla OA, Gómez Barry H, Orgas MH, González PE. Inoculation of chicken embryos with the cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenic patients. Abstr S8-6. Presented at the Second World Conference on Viruses, Immunity and Mental Health. Mont Gabriel. Quebec 4-7 Oct 1988.

3. Yolken RH, Torrey EF. Viruses, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. Clin Microb Review 1995; 1: 131-45.

4. Torrey EF. Stalking the schizovirus. Schizophr Bull 1988; 14: 223-29.

5. Mesa CS. Regiones de Interés del Cerebro en la Esquizofrenia. Estudios Post-mortem con Microscopía Electrónica de la Amígdala, el Hipocampo y la Corteza Auditiva Primaria. WPA Educational Section available at http://www.wpanet.org/education/wpaeln3.html, Junio 2005.

6. Baker HF, Ridley RM, Crow TJ, Bloxham CA, Parry RP, Tyrrell DAJ. An investigation of the effects of intracerebral injection in the marmoset of cytopathic cerebrospinal fluid from patients with schizophrenia or neurological disease. Psychol Med 1983; 13: 499-511.

7. Ridley RM, Baker HF, Crow TJ. Transmission studies of psychiatric and neurological disease. In Kurstak E, Lipowski ZJ, Morozov PV, eds. Viruses, immunity and mental disorders. New York: Plenum; 1987. p. 33-45.

8. Shirabe S, Stevens JR, Schwartz JP. Characterization of a transmissible growth-promoting agent derived from CSF of schizophrenic patients which is active on human neuroblastoma cells. J Neurosci Res 1993; 34: 622-8.

9. Mesa CS. Inoculación de embriones de pollo con líquido céfalo-raquídeo de pacientes esquizofrénicos. Estudio inmuno-electromicroscópico. WPA Educational Section. Available at http://www.wpanet.org/education/wpaeln3.html, Mayo, 2005.

10. Mesa CS. Estudios con microscopía electrónica de la descendencia de ratas inoculadas intracerebralmente con líquido céfalo-raquídeo de pacientes esquizofrénicos available at WPA Educational Section http://www.wpanet.org/education/wpaeln3.html Dic. 2005.

11. Delisi LE. In: Nasrallah H, Weinberger DL (eds). Handbook of Schizophrenia. Vol. 1 Amsterdam: Elsevier. 1986; pp. 377-396.

12. Bogerts B. The neuropathology of schizophrenic diseases: historical aspects and present knowledge. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1999; 249 Suppl 4:2-13.

13. Harrison PJ : The neuropathology of schizophrenia. A critical review of the data and their interpretation. Brain 1999; 122 :593-624.

14. Buchanan R, Buckley PF, Tamminga CA, Schulz SCH. Schizophrenia Research: A Biennium of Progress. Proceedings from the Sixth International Congress on Schizophrenia Research, Colorado Springs, CO, April 12-16, 1997. Schizophrenia Bulletin 1998; 24: 501-18.

15. Wierzba-Bobrowicz T, Lewandowska E, Kosno-Kruszewska E, Lechowicz W, Pasennik E, Schmidt-Sidor B. Degeneration of microglial cells in frontal and temporal lobes of chronic schizophrenics. Folia Neuropathol 2004; 42: 157-65.

16. Ong WY, Garey LJ. Ultrastructural features of biopsied temporopolar cortex (area 38) in a case of schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 1993; 10: 15-27.

17. Mesa CS. Schizophrenia. Electron microscopy studies. Published in Educational Material. World Psychiatric Association. Available at http://www.wpanet.org/sectorial/edu14-3.html, June, 2004.

18. Xalabarder C. Abnormal thrombocytes in schizophrenia: electron microscopy observation. Agressologie 1973; 14: 275-279.

19. Kessler A, Shinitzky M, Kessler B. Number of platelet dense granules varies with age, schizophrenia and dementia. Dementia 1995; 6: 330-3.

20. Mesa CS. Schizophrenia: cytopathological diagnosis valuation scale. Carib Med J 1998; 60: 29-32.

21. Grunnet ML. Nuclear bodies in Jakob-Creutzfeldt and Alzheimer's disease. Neurology 1975; 25: 1091-3.

22. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1649109/mitochondrial_dysfunction_in_mental.html

23. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1641378/diet_and_schizophrenia.html

24. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1638950/biomarkers_for_schizophrenia.html

25. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1636511/basic_and_applied_research_on_mental.html