Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Increased inflammatory markers have been found in patients with chronic schizophrenia, and have been associated with negative symptoms. The deficit syndrome is a distinct subtype of schizophrenia, characterized by primary and enduring negative symptoms. METHOD: We measured inflammatory markers in patients with and without deficit schizophrenia and controls. RESULTS: Using multivariate analyses, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin-6 were associated with the deficit syndrome, and TNF-α predicted blunted affect, alogia, and total negative symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that deficit schizophrenia subtype is associated with increased inflammation and immunotherapies may be a novel target for negative symptoms.