Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha in Schizophrenia and Cognitive Impairment

Background: Neuroinflammation and excitotoxicity play a key role as triggers and support for neurodegenerative processes, increase levels of TNF-α have been found in schizophrenic patients. Improved inflammatory processes have been demonstrated in acute and chronic schizophrenia. In schizophrenia is characterized by a collection of core symptoms that trigger individuals experiencing several cognitive disorders. Objective: To investigate the relationship of serum TNF-α levels to impaired cognitive function in schizophrenic patients in Medan, Indonesia. Method: This research is cross sectional analytical correlative study involving 40 male schizophrenic patients at Prof. Dr. M. Ildrem Mental Hospital through July to September 2019 that fulfilled our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Serum TNF-α levels were analyzed using Quantikine HS Human TNF-α Assay with a minimum detection limit of  0.1062 pg/ml while in the other hand, cognitive function test was carried out by using the Mini Mental State Examination. Results: Serum TNF-α levels with a mean of 25.1216 with a standard deviation of 1.7629. There is a positive correlation with moderate correlation (r = 0.4 - <0.6) on cognitive function with the strength of correlation r = 0.434 Conclusion: We found that there is a link between serum TNF-α level and cognitive function as assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).