Immune Dysregulation and Self-Reactivity in Schizophrenia: Do Some Cases of Schizophrenia Have an Autoimmune Basis?

Schizophrenia affects 1% of the world's population, but its cause remains obscure. Numerous theories have been proposed regarding the cause of schizophrenia, ranging from developmental or neurodegenerative processes or neurotransmitter abnormalities to infectious or autoimmune processes. In this review, findings suggestive of immune dysregulation and reactivity to self in patients with schizophrenia are examined with reference to criteria for defining whether or not a human disease is autoimmune in origin. Associations with other autoimmune diseases and particular MHC haplotypes, increased serum levels of autoantibodies, and in vivo and in vitro replication of some of the functional and ultrastructural abnormalities of schizophrenia by transfer of autoantibodies from the sera of patients with schizophrenia suggest that, in some patients at least, autoimmune mechanisms could play a role in the development of disease. Recent findings regarding specific autoimmune responses directed against neurotransmitter receptors in the brain in patients with schizophrenia will also be reviewed

Processing of microstrip detectors on Czochralski grown high resistivity silicon substrates

We have processed large-area strip sensors on silicon wafers grown by the magnetic Czochralski (MCZ) method. The n-type MCZ silicon wafers manufactured by Okmetic Oyj have nominal resistivity of 900 Omega cm and oxygen concentration of less than 10 ppma. The Photoconductive Decay (PCD) measurements, current-voltage measurements and capacitance-voltage measurements were made to characterise the samples. The leakage current of 3 muA at 900 V bias voltage was measured on the 32.5 cm**2 detector. Detector depletion took place at about 420 V. According to PCD measurements, process induced contamination was effectively bound and neutralised by the oxygen present in Czochralski silicon. During the sample processing, the silicon resistivity increased in spite of the lack of specific donor- killing heat treatment