The "Antibrain" Factors in Psychiatric Patients' Sera

Abstract

In preliminary reports^1,8 it was shown that sera of some psychiatric patients had a greater effect than did control sera upon latex particles coated with brain extracts. Because in further experience with the latex particle system there were difficulties in reproducing the results, a red cell agglutination reaction that is both easier to read and more reproducible has been developed. The results obtained with this system confirm the original findings in a general way, but also cast doubt upon the interpretation, mentioned in the previous report as possible, of a circulating brain antibody in the sera of mentally ill patients. Materials and Methods A. Patient Material.—Psychiatric patients' sera were obtained from several institutions of the California Department of Mental Hygiene, the majority coming either from the patients with acute mental disturbances on the acute treatment service of the Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute or from