Disrupted leptin-fatty acid biosynthesis is an early manifestation of metabolic abnormalities in schizophrenia

Figure 3 Association of erythrocyte membrane saturated fatty acids-palmitic acid with clinical symptoms (positive and negative syndrome scale) scores. A and B: In first-episode psychosis patients, erythrocyte saturated fatty acids (SFAs)-palmitic acid (PA) showed positive correlation with both positive symptom score (PANSS-PSS) (A, r = 0.5844, P = 0.0034) and negative symptom score (PANSS-NSS) (B, r = 0.5381, P = 0.008); C and D: In chronic schizophrenia patients, erythrocyte SFAs-PA showed positive correlation with PANSS-NSS (D, r = 0.4729; P = 0.031), but it was not significant in case of PANSS-PSS (C, r = 0.2485, P = 0.28). Similar results were obtained with erythrocyte membrane stearic acid (data not shown). PANSS-PSS: Positive and negative syndrome scale-positive symptom score; PANSS-NSS: Positive and negative syndrome scale-negative symptom score; FEP: First-episode psychosis; CSZ: Chronic schizophrenia; SFAs: Saturated fatty acids; PA: Palmitic acid.