Background Oxidative stress is a state of imbalance between reactive oxidants and anti-oxidants. Oxidative stress and a disrupted redox regulation in the brain might contribute to the pathophysiology of psychotic disorders and could serve as interesting new targets for clinical intervention. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the skin can be measured non-invasively and indicate cumulative oxidative stress.
Aim To investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal differences in AGE-levels in patients with recent onset psychosis (patients) and healthy controls (controls). To investigate association of AGE-levels and brain volume in psychosis.
Method An autofluorescence measurement of AGEs in the skin was performed in patients and controls. AGEs were compared in patients and controls. Furthermore, the association between AGEs and volumes of the amygdala, hippocampus and total cortical gray matter was investigated in patients.
Results AGEs in the skin were elevated by 15% (or 0.66 standard deviations) in patients (n = 86) compared to controls (n = 135) (p < 0.001). An indication of a higher AGE-accumulation rate (p = 0.07) was found in patients (n = 66) compared to controls (n = 160). We found a negative association between AGEs in the skin and hippocampus volume (standardized beta= 0.27; p = 0.03) in patients (n = 46).
Conclusion Findings of a high level of AGEs in the skin indicate excessive oxidative stress in patients with recent onset psychosis.