| Objective Cognitive dysfunction is the core symptom of schizophrenia,which seriously restricts the recovery of patients’ daily life,professional ability and social function.In recent years,people expect to seek new ways to improve the cognitive dysfunction of schizophrenia from various angles,but the mechanism is still inconclusive.Previous studies have found that there is a correlation between telomere length and cognitive function in the general population,and this correlation also exists in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and bipolar disorder.In addition,studies have confirmed that the telomere length of schizophrenia patients is shortened,so is there a correlation between telomere shortening and cognitive function in schizophrenia patients,and whether telomere length can be used as a potential biological marker of schizophrenia? Based on the above problems,this study intends to clarify the correlation between telomere length of peripheral blood leukocytes and cognitive function of schizophrenic patients in China,and explore the possible potential mechanism in order to improve cognitive function and quality of life of schizophrenic patients.Methods From October 2021 to October 2022,inpatients with schizophrenia who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were continuously recruited in the psychiatric department of Chaohu Hospital affiliated to Anhui Medical University.Finally,a total of 125 schizophrenics were included in this study.Self-made general information questionnaire was used to collect general information,positive and negative symptom scale(PANSS)was used to evaluate clinical mental symptoms,and repetitive neuropsychological state test(RBANS)was used to evaluate cognitive function.Telomere length was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR),and the measured relative T/S value represented the relative telomere length.According to the relative T/S value,patients were divided into short telomere group and long telomere group.Finally,we use Excl to input data and SPSS software to make statistical analysis.Results 1)There is no statistical difference in age and years of education between the short telomere group and the long telomere group;The fasting blood glucose of the short telomere group(5.58±1.60)was higher than that of the long telomere group(5.04±0.95),and there was a significant difference between the two groups(Z=-2.330,P=0.02).2)Correlation analysis showed that the total score of RBANS was positively correlated with body mass index and years of education(r=0.176;r=0.440,P<0.05 or 0.01),which was negatively correlated with negative factor score,general symptom score and total score of PANSS(r =-0.422;r=0.182;r=-0.258,P<0.01).The relative telomere length was related to immediate memory(r=0.495,P<0.01)and speech function(r=0.336,P<0.01).3)Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the relative telomere length(β=0.556,P<0.001)and years of education(β=0.192,P=0.009)were the influencing factors of the instant memory of schizophrenic patients.Relative telomere length(β=0.360,P<0.001),years of education(β=0.209,P=0.012)and negative factor score(β=-0.198,P=0.017)are the influencing factors of speech function.Conclusion There is a correlation between telomere length of peripheral blood leukocytes and immediate memory and speech function in cognitive function.The shorter the relative telomere length,the worse the immediate memory and speech function.Besides telomere length,the cognitive function of schizophrenic patients is also affected by many factors,such as years of education and negative symptoms.This study provides preliminary evidence for exploring the correlation between telomere length and cognitive function in schizophrenia.In the future,we can further clarify the relationship between telomere length and cognitive function by increasing the sample size,strictly controlling the course of disease or drugs,and provide new ideas for potential biomarkers of schizophrenia and new strategies for improving patients’ social function. |
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