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Study links virus in the brain to psychiatric disorders

2025-07-16 08:57:00, Shëndeti CNA

A team of researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine may have discovered the link between psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, and viral infections.

In a landmark study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, scientists discovered the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the choroid plexus of the brain. For the study, the researchers analyzed brain tissue from post-mortem subjects with and without psychiatric disorders, along with electronic medical records from 285 million people.

The choroid plexus, which is a network of blood vessels and specialized cells located within the ventricles of the brain, is responsible for producing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that protects the brain and spinal cord. This part of the brain also plays a crucial role in forming the blood-CSF barrier, which regulates the passage of substances between the blood and the CSF. The presence of liver-damaging HCV in this region suggests that the virus may play a previously unknown role in altering brain chemistry and immune signaling, potentially causing or worsening psychiatric symptoms.

The researchers found that more viruses were present in brain tissue samples from people suffering from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. But, unlike other viruses, HCV was found only in the lining of the brains of these people. And not all people with HCV had the virus in the lining of the brain, suggesting that the infection does not always spread to the choroid plexus.

The discovery could lead to new diagnostic and treatment avenues for those suffering from psychiatric illnesses.

"Some people with symptoms of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia may actually have a hepatitis C infection," explained study leader Sarven Sabunciyan, a neuroscientist and associate professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Potentially, treating the viral infection will improve psychiatric symptoms in these people."

Sabunciyan told Newsmax: "It is worth investigating the presence of viruses in the lining of the brain in other brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis, where it has been suggested that a virus is involved in the disease."/ CNA