ELECTROPHORETIC AND ANALYTICAL ULTRACENTRIFUGE STUDIES IN SERA OF PSYCHOTIC PATIENTS: ELEVATION OF GAMMA GLOBULINS AND MACROGLOBULINS, AND SPLITTING OF ALPHA_2 GLOBULINS

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Abstract
This paper reports the electrophoretic and analytical ultracentrifuge serum protein patterns of 166 chronically psychotic patients in a state hospital. The 166 included various subgroups: some whose sera were known to have rheumatoid factor activity; some who had not been on ataractic drugs for two years; some who had had severe catatonic mutism. An attempt was made to rule out long institutionalization as a factor in producing serum protein disturbances in the patients by using as controls the sera from 50 long term prisoners in a Federal penitentiary. Qualitative abnormalities which were found included: 1) splitting of alpha-2 globulins in 16 (10%) patients; 2) a sharp line superimposed on the gamma globulin in 28 (17%) patients; 3) an abnormally shaped gamma globulin curve, in the densitometric analysis, in 52 (32%) patients. These qualitative changes were not seen in any sera of the control subjects. The main quantitative changes found were: 1) a mean hypergammaglobulinemia, which was statistically significant, in all groups of patients; 2) in some sera so examined a significant elevation of S19 macroglobulins. Speculations about the significance of the findings included the possibility that the gamma globulin and macroglobulin disturbances reflect an autoimmune process which might be involved in the pathogenesis of some functional psychoses. The effects of chronic confinement, malnutrition, liver disease, ataractic drug therapy and other factors coincidental to the psychosis in influencing serum protein changes were discussed. It was believed that some of those factors could be ruled out.

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