Low levels of blood pressure protein may flag treatment-resistant psychosis
In a preliminary study using blood and spinal fluid samples from 200 people, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have evidence that a well-studied protein involved in blood pressure regulation may serve as a marker for—and perhaps play a role in—treatment-resistant schizophrenia and other psychoses.
A recent study from Johns Hopkins Medicine has identified a blood protein that may help detect treatment-resistant psychosis, a subtype of schizophrenia. Researchers analyzed blood and spinal fluid samples from 200 people, including those with early-stage psychosis and those with treatment-resistant psychosis. They found significantly lower levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), a protein involved in blood pressure regulation, in the blood of patients with treatment-resistant psychosis compared to those with early-stage psychosis.
Importantly, the study also showed that ACE levels in blood correlated with ACE levels in cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting that a simple blood test could potentially serve as a reliable marker for this condition. Dr. Akira Sawa, director of the Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center, believes that ACE may have a previously unrecognized function in psychosis, unrelated to its role in blood vessel constriction.
ACE inhibitors, which lower blood pressure by blocking ACE, are commonly prescribed for hypertension. The researchers are now working to confirm these findings in larger, independent studies to establish ACE as a potential biological marker for psychosis. If confirmed, this discovery could lead to more objective ways of identifying patients who may require different treatment approaches and contribute to the development of new drug targets for treatment-resistant psychosis.
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