Increased Serum Interleukin 2 Receptor Concentration in Schizophrenic and Brain-Damaged Subjects

Abstract

To the Editor.— It has been suggested that autoimmunity may play a role in the pathogenesis of symptoms in some schizophrenics.^1,2Activation of the immune system by an ongoing autoimmune disease is associated with measurable alterations in T-lymphocyte function. In patients with an autoimmune disease, T lymphocytes have a decreased response to nonspecific mitogenic stimulation and produce reduced amounts of interleukin 2 (IL-2).^3-5As IL-2 is necessary for T lymphocytes to respond in a normal manner to nonspecific mitogens, the reduced mitogenic activity may reflect low IL-2 production by the T cells. Recently it has been suggested that the low lymphocyte production of IL-2 in patients with an autoimmune disease occurs because the T cells are activated and the lymphocyte-derived IL-2 has been released into the serum.⁶Alternatively, the IL-2 released from lymphocytes may be bound by soluble IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) released from the cell surface. If