Method for the diagnosis and follow up of schizophrenia and other mental and neurodegenerative disorders

摘要

A method for the diagnosis and follow up of a mental disorder or of a neurodegenerative disorder in an individual, comprises: (i) measuring mRNA of D₃ dopamine receptor and/or of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 AChR) and of a control gene in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) of said individual and of at least one healthy control individual; (ii) calculating the ratio between the D₃ dopamine receptor mRNA and the control gene mRNA and/or the ratio between α7 AChR mRNA and the control gene mRNA for each individual; and (iii) evaluating the ratio between the ratios obtained in (ii) for the tested individual and for the at least one healthy control individual, wherein an increase in the D₃ dopamine receptor mRNA and/or a decrease in the α7 AChR mRNA in the tested individual in comparison to healthy individuals, indicate that said tested individual has a high likelihood of having said mental disorder or neurodegenerative disorder, wherein said increase in the D₃ dopamine receptor mRNA and/or decrease in the α7 AChR mRNA in the tested individual is correlated to said mental disorder or neurodegenerative disorder. When the mental disorder is schizophrenia, an increase of above 1.6 fold in the D₃ dopamine receptor mRNA and/or a decrease of more than 20% in the α7 AChR mRNA in the tested individual in comparison to healthy individuals, indicate that said tested individual has a high likelihood of having schizophrenia.