While genetic and cohort studies suggest immune and reduction/oxidation (redox) alterations occur in psychosis, less is known about potential alterations in children and adolescents.
We conducted a systematic review to identify immune and redox biomarker studies in children and adolescents (mean age ≤ 18 years old) across the psychosis spectrum: from psychotic like experiences, which are common in children, to threshold psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. We conducted meta-analyses when at least three studies measured the same biomarker.
The systematic review includes 38 pediatric psychosis studies. The meta-analyses found that youth with threshold psychotic disorders had higher neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (Hedge’s g = 0.40, 95 % CI 0.17 – 0.64), tumor necrosis factor (Hedge’s g = 0.38, 95 % CI 0.06 – 0.69), C-reactive protein (Hedge’s g = 0.38, 95 % CI 0.05 – 0.70), interleukin-6 (Hedge’s g = 0.35; 95 % CI 0.11 – 0.64), and total white blood cell count (Hedge’s g = 0.29, 95 % CI 0.12 – 0.46) compared to youth without psychosis. Other immune and oxidative stress meta-analytic findings were very heterogeneous.
Results from several studies are consistent with the hypothesis that signals often classified as “proinflammatory” are elevated in threshold pediatric psychotic disorders. Data are less clear for immune markers in subthreshold psychosis and redox markers across the subthreshold and threshold psychosis spectrum. Immune and redox biomarker intervention studies are lacking, and research investigating interventions targeting the immune system in threshold pediatric psychosis is especially warranted.

Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.