Academic Biography

Dr. Patricia Boksa is a professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Surgery and Neuro-surgery at McGill University and a researcher at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre.  Her research focus is on pregnancy and birth complications as risk factors for the later development of schizophrenia.  She also investigates the effect that maternal antidepressant use has on the functioning of the central nervous system in children.

What is Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder characterized by abnormal perception of reality.  There are many possible symptoms, which vary from person to person.  Common symptoms include disorganized speech and thinking, hallucinations, and delusions.  Schizophrenia affects up to 1% of people in their lifetime, with onset typically occurring in the late teens to early 20’s.  Individuals with schizophrenia are also likely to be diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders – 10% commit suicide.

Project Summary

Dr. Patricia Boksa and her team conducted a study using rats to investigate whether a maternal infection during pregnancy produces long-term changes in a pup’s brain development and function that are similar to the types of human brain changes seen in schizophrenia.  Her second series of tests investigated whether a group of chemicals called cytokines that are produced by our bodies to defend against infections alter brain development process.

Biological Background and Rationale

A substantial body of psychiatric research demonstrated that a person has an increased risk of developing schizophrenia if their mother had a bacterial or viral infection during pregnancy.  The way that maternal infections may lead to the development of schizophrenia is not known.  In response to an infection, the body produces specialized chemicals (cytokines) to defend against the invading bacteria or viruses.  Cytokines help fight infection by inducing our bodies to produce fever and to sleep more, and by decreasing our activity level and appetite.  Research conducted by other scientists suggests that cytokines can also affect brain development.  Building on this information, Dr. Boksa proposed that if cytokines can affect brain development, then cytokine activity in a fetus during maternal infection could be a contributing factor in the development of schizophrenia.

Outcome

Dr. Boksa found that rats born to mothers exposed to bacterial infection during pregnancy showed long-term changes in brain function when they were tested as adults.  There were three observable changes analogous to the types of human brain structure and function changes seen in schizophrenia.  Maternal infection did increase the number of cytokines in the fetal bloodstream, but the effect of this increase is still under investigation.

The results of this experiment provide us with the initial pieces of information that will lead to preventative medical strategies for the risk of schizophrenia following maternal infection.