Background: Oxidative stress is a neurotoxic factor that may precipitate acute psychoses.
Aim: Assess the relationship of travel-induced psychosis and oxidative stress.
Methods: Twenty-one inpatients with travel-induced psychosis related to prolonged train travel were evaluated using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) at the time of admission and their plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were assessed on the morning following admission. These assessments were repeated after the psychotic symptoms resolved, which typically occurred after 2-6 days of low-dose antipsychotic treatment. The SOD and MDA results in the patients were compared to those of 21 normal age and gender matched control subjects.
Results: At admission the patient group had significantly higher SOD activity and MDA concentrations than the control group. After resolution of the psychotic symptoms the BPRS scores, SOD activity, and MDA concentrations all showed significant declines but the SOD activity and MDA concentrations remained higher than in the matched control group. At admission there was a non-significant positive correlation of the BPRS total score with SOD activity (r=0.32, p=0.164) and with MDA concentration (r=0.34, p=0.126). The before versus after drop in the BPRS total score was weakly correlated with the drop in the SOD activity (r=0.28, p=0.217) and with the drop in the MDA concentration (r=0.29, p=0.211).
Conclusion: These findings suggest that the neurotoxic effects of oxidative stress are directly related to the development of travel-induced psychosis. This may be relevant to the understanding of other acute psychotic states such as schizophrenia.
背景: 氧化应激是一种神经毒性因素，可能会促使急性精神病的发生。
目的: 评估旅途精神病（travel-induced psychosis）与氧化应激的关系。
方法: 对乘坐长途火车诱发的21例旅途精神病住院患者，在其入院时采用简明精神病评定量表（Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, BPRS）评定精神症状，入院次日清晨测定其血清超氧化物歧化酶（super oxide dlsmutase，SOD）活性和丙二醛（malondialdehyde，MDA）含量；待患者精神病性症状缓解后（通常为小剂量抗精神病药治疗后2~6天），再次进行上述检测。选取性别、年龄匹配的21名健康志愿者为对照组，比较患者与对照者的血清SOD活性和MDA含量。
结果: 入院时患者的血清SOD活性和MDA含量均高于对照组。精神症状缓解后，患者的BPRS评分、血清SOD活性和MDA含量均显著下降，但后两者仍高于对照组。入院时患者的BPRS总分与SOD活性呈正相关（r=0.32，p=0.164），与MDA含量也呈正相关（r=0.34, p=0.126），但均无统计学意义。治疗后BPRS总分的下降与SOD活性的下降弱相关（r=0.28，p=0.217），也与MDA含量的下降也呈弱相关（r=0.29，p=0.211）。
结论: 研究结果提示，氧化应激的神经毒性作用与旅途精神病的发生直接相关。这或许能够帮助我们理解其他急性精神病性障碍（如精神分裂症）的发生。