MAGNESIUM AND SULFUR CONCENTRATIONS IN THE SERUM AND
IN THE CEREBROSPINAL FLUID OF SCHIZOPHRENICS PATIENTS
LUIS MARQUES-ASSIS *
FRANCISCO B . DE JORGE **In order to contribute to the knowledge of the physiopathology of
schi-zophrenia, biochemical studies have been developed. Until now the
inves-tigations have been related specially to the abnormalities of plasmatic proteins
and to the disorders of aminate metabolism
7. In relation to chemical
elements, studies about c o p p e r
8-
9and ceruloplasmin
1>
2-
8are referred. The
aim of the present work is to study the behavior of magnesium (Mg) in the
blood and in the cerebrospinal fluid and of sulfur (S) in the blood of
schizo-phrenic patients.
M A T E R I A L A N D M E T H O D S
O f a t o t a l of 42 schizophrenic patients, 39 c a m e from a p r i v a t e c l i n i c a n d 3 from t h e P s y c h i a t r i c C l i n i c of the M e d i c a l S c h o o l of t h e U n i v e r s i t y of S ã o P a u l o . A l l the p a t i e n t s were m a l e s , t h e a g e v a r y i n g from 17 to 42 y e a r s . T h e s a m p l e included 34 white, 6 m u l a t o e s , one negro and one J a p a n e s e descendent pacient.
I n 22 cases blood samples were secured for s u l f u r d e t e r m i n a t i o n in the serum. I n 26 cases blood s a m p l e s and in 11 cases cerebrospinal fluid s a m p l e s were secured for m a g n e s i u m d e t e r m i n a t i o n . T h e m a t e r i a l w a s collected from patients t h a t h a d been in a f a s t i n g condition for a t least t h r e e hours. C o m p l e t e l y c l e a n and dry tubes, syringes and needles were used. T h e blood s a m p l e s were centrifuged 3 to 4 hours after collection, d e t e r m i n a t i o n s being m a d e o n t h e s a m e day, or the serum, after c e n t r i f u g a t i o n , was stored a t -10»C.
M a g n e s i u m w a s determined a c c o r d i n g to t h e m e t h o d of y e l l o w t i t a n in a l k a l i n e s o l u t i o n , s l i g h t l y modified e
. T h e results were compared w i t h t h e n o r m a l concen-t r a concen-t i o n s deconcen-termined by concen-the s a m e m e concen-t h o d3
. I n o r g a n i c s u l f u r a n a l y s i s w e r e m a d e by t h e t u r b i d n i m e t r i c m e t h o d5
; n o r m a l v a l u e s h a v e been reported e l s e w e r e4
.
T h e results presented here were subjected to c o n v e n t i o n a l s t a t i s t i c a l a n a l y s i s .
R E S U L T S
The results a r e s u m m a r i z e d in t a b l e 1. T h e s l i g h t decrease of blood m a g n e s i u m in schizophrenics is s t a t i s t i c a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t . O n the other h a n d , n o s t a t i s t i c a l v a -r i a t i o n s we-re detected in ce-reb-rospinal f l u i d m a g n e s i u m a n d blood s u l f u -r i n schizophrenic patients compared w i t h n o r m a l s .
C O M M E N T S
Schizophrenia is a serious affection, responsible for about half the number
of patients in psychiatric institutions and this certainly justifies any studies
relating to this disease.
From the biochemical viewpoint however, only copper and ceruloplasmin
have been studied in the blood and in the cerebrospinal fluid. In the present
work additional data is presented concerning the behavior of magnesium in
blood and in cerebrospinal fluid and of sulfur in the blood of schizophrenic
patients.
A s can be seen in table 1, no statistical differences were found between
the levels of magnesium in the cerebrospinal fluid and of sulfur in the blood
when compared with the normal values. Significantly lower levels for
mag-nesium were found, however, in the blood of schizophrenic patients.
Hipo-magnesiemia has been known to be associated with symptoms of irritation
of the central nervous system
5>
1 0as well as epilepsy
2S U M M A R Y
F o r t y two cases of schizophrenic patients were studied. M a g n e s i u m was
determined in the blood (26 cases) and in the cerebrospinal fluid (11 cases)
and sulfur was determined in the blood (22 cases). B y statistical t r e a t m e n t
of the data obtained the author c a m e to the following conclusions: 1) t h e
variations in the levels of m a g n e s i u m in the cerebrospinal fluid and of sulfur
in the blood are not significative; 2) the levels of blood m a g n e s i u m are
signifi-cantly lower in schizophrenic patients in relation t o normal values.
R E S U M O
Concentrações do magnésio e do enxofre no sôro e no líquido cefalorraqueano
de pacientes esquizofrênicos
F o r a m estudados 42 casos de esquizofrenia. O magnésio foi dosado no
sangue (26 casos) e no líquido cefalorraqueano (11 casos) e o enxofre foi
dosado no sangue (22 casos). A p ó s análise estatística dos resultados os
autores c h e g a r a m às seguintes conclusões: 1) as variações dos níveis de
magnesio do líquido cefalorraqueano e de enxôfre do sangue não são
signi-ficantes; 2) o nível de magnésio do s a n g u e está significativamente mais
baixo nos esquizofrênicos em relação aos normais.
R E F E R E N C E S
1. A B O O D , L . G . ; G I B B S , F . A . & G I B B S , E . — C o m p a r a t i v e study in blood c e r u l o p l a s m i n in schizophrenia a n d o t h e r disorders. A r c h . N e u r o l . P s y c h i a t . ( C h i c a g o ) 77:643-645, 1957
2 . C A N E L A S , H . M . ; M A R Q U E S - A S S I S , L . & D E J O R G E , F . B . — Disorders of m a g n e s i u m m e t a b o l i s m in epilepsy. J . N e u r o l . N e u r o s u r g . P s y c h i a t . 28:378-381, 1965.
3 . D E J O R G E , F . B . ; C A N E L A S , H . M . & Z A N I N I , A . C . — M e t a b o l i s m o do m a g n é s i o . I I . V a l o r e s normais do soro, p l a s m a , s a n g u e total, líquido cefa¬ loraqueano, u r i n a e fezes. R e v . p a u l . M e d . 65:95-105, 1964.
4. D E J O R G E , F . B . ; C A N E L A S , H . M . & Z A N I N I , A C . — M e t a b o l i s m o do enxôfre, II. V a l o r e s normais do sôro s a n g ü í n e o , líquido c e f a l o r r a q u e a n o , s a l i v a , u r i n a e fezes. R e v . p a u l . Med. 65:332-339, 1964.
5. D E J O R G E , F . B . ; S I L V A , A . G . & C I N T R A , A . B . U . — D e t e r m i n a ç ã o q u a n -t i -t a -t i v a do enxôfre nos m a -t e r i a i s biológicos. R e v . bras. Med. 21:491-494, 1964.
6 . D E J O R G E , F . B . ; S I L V A , A . G . & C I N T R A , A . B . U . — D e t e r m i n a ç ã o q u a n -t i -t a -t i v a do m a g n é s i o nos m a -t e r i a i s biológicos. R e v . p a u l . M e d . 64:224-226, 1964.
8. M A R Q U E S A S S I S , L . & D E J O R G E , F . B . — Copper a n d c e r u l o p l a s m i n c o n -c e n t r a t i o n s in t h e blood s e r u m of s -c h i z o p h r e n i -c p a t i e n t s . A r q . N e u r o - P s i q u i a t . 26:128-131, 1968.
9. O S A N A Y , Y . — C l i n i c a l studies on s e r u m copper m e t a b o l i s m in p a t i e n t s w i t h m e n t a l a n d n e r v o u s diseases. T o h o k u m e d . J . 65:1-22, 1962.
10. V A L E E , B . L . ; W A C K E R , W . E . C . & U L M E R , D . D . — T h e m a g n e s i u m d e f i c i e n c y t e t a n y s y n d r o m e in m a n . N e w E n g . J . M e d . 262:155-161, 1960.
