Background
Schizophrenia is associated with an increased risk of age-related dementia, yet current diagnostic tools lack specificity in identifying high-risk individuals. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in blood serve as minimally invasive carriers of disease-specific molecular signatures, making them promising biomarkers for early stratification of cognitive decline. This study investigates the proteomic profiles of circulating EVs in schizophrenia to identify prognostic markers for dementia risk stratification.
Methods
EVs were isolated from blood samples of schizophrenia patients with and without age-related cognitive decline. Proteomic analysis was performed using mass spectrometry, followed by bioinformatics-driven pathway enrichmentto determine differentially expressed proteins associated with neurodegeneration.
Results
A shared proteomic signature was identified between schizophrenia and age-related dementia patients, including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. The presence and circulation of these biomarkers in blood plasma EVswere evaluated for their prognostic potential in schizophrenia. Clustering analysis revealed distinct subgroups, effectively identifying individuals at high risk for dementia based on their EV proteome profile.
Discussion
The identification of blood-based EV biomarkers provides a novel non-invasive approach for risk stratification of dementia in schizophrenia patients. This method has the potential to refine early diagnosis, guide personalized interventions, and optimize clinical trial recruitment for neuroprotective therapies.
Conclusions
Our findings support the clinical utility of circulating EV biomarkers for predicting age-related dementia in schizophrenia, emphasizing the need for further validation in longitudinal studies. This approach could enhance precision medicine strategies, improving patient outcomes and reducing the societal burden of cognitive impairment.