F15. DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION PATTERNS OF EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR (EGF) AND IMMUNE SYSTEM MARKERS IN DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL (BA46) AND ORBITOFRONTAL (BA11) CORTICES IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND MOOD DISORDER

Abstract

Environmental risk factors that operate at maternal, foetal and post-natal levels, causing immune activation are known risk factors for schizophrenia. How this risk is transduced is unknown but one plausible disease mechanism may be through immune activation perturbing central nervous system growth factor systems, such as the epidermal growth factor (EGF) system critical to neuronal differentiation, maturation and plasticity, altering neurodevelopment. These interactions between EGF and immune systems may involve specific critical brain regions and not others. The expression of candidate genes from EGF and immune systems and related signalling pathways, including ligands, receptors and inter..