Immunological Changes and Brain Function over a Psychotic-Depressive Spectrum

Sammanfattning: Psychotic and depressive disorders are severe psychiatric disorders that contribute significantly to the global burden of disease. They are distinct disorders with different symptom profiles according to both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and the International Classification of Diseases. However, these disorders share commonalities in various aspects, such as high comorbidity, prevalence of subclinical symptoms, and shared genetics. Furthermore, both disorders have been associated with a dysregulated immune system functioning.In this thesis, we aimed to identify common biological dimensions of both depression and psychosis by first investigating proteins related to immune system activation in depression and psychosis separately, and then identifying biological underpinnings of psychotic-like symptoms in depression.Specifically, we first assessed in major depressive disorder central nervous system levels of metabolites along the kynurenine pathway, a pathway that is regulated by the immune system and implicated in depressive and psychotic disorders (paper I). We found an imbalance between neuroprotective versus neurotoxic metabolites in blood and decreased levels of a neuroprotective metabolite in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with depression.Next, we assessed patterns of proteins implicated in immune-system function that distinguish first episode psychosis and healthy controls (paper II). Results indicate prominent changes in patients compared to controls, partially replicating previous findings and partially highlighting proteins that have not previously been assessed in psychosis.Lastly, we investigated psychotic-like symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder, finding a relation to immune system markers (paper III) and changes in connectivity between brain structures that integrate information about the physical body and autobiographic information into a sense of self (paper IV).In summary, the results from this thesis suggest that both in major depressive disorder and first episode psychosis there might be a dysregulation of the immune system and closely related systems such as the kynurenine pathway. These commonalities could further underlie the prevalence of subclinical psychotic-like symptoms in major depressive disorder. Ultimately, a better understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms of psychiatric disorders and, transdiagnostically, their symptoms will help formulate empiricallyinformed frameworks to guide clinical diagnostic processes and treatments.