Schizophrenia spectrum disorders following past exposure to ionizing radiation and SARS CoV-2 infection

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Whether exist a potential association between schizophrenia spectrum disorders following past exposure to ionizing radiation and SARS CoV-2 infection is unknown. Objective(s) To assess a possible role of double radiation-viral exposure in pre- and postnatal periods in schizophrenia spectrum disorders genesis. Method(s) Integration and analysis of information available with the results of own clinical and epidemiological studies. Result(s) The renaissance of interest to the viral hypothesis of schizophrenia is observing during the current COVID-19 pandemic. There is an increasing number of cases and case series reports on psychotic schizophreniform disorders following SARS CoV-2 infection diagnosed as COVID-19-asssociated brief psychotic disorder, first episode psychosis, acute and transient psychotic disorder. The prevalence rate of schizophrenia in A-bomb survivors in Nagasaki was very high - 6 % (Nakane and Ohta, 1986), and increased in those prenatally exposed to A-bombing (Imamura et al., 1995) and medical X-irradiation (Gross et al., 2018). We found a significant increase in the schizophrenia incidence in the Chornobyl exclusion zone personnel, as well as schizophreniform syndromes in Chornobyl clean-up workers (liquidators) irradiated by moderate to high doses (more than 0.30 Sv). The neural diathesis-stressor hypothesis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders was proposed (Loganovsky and Loganovskaja, 2000;Loganovsky et al., 2005). Recently we observed the clinical case of organic schizophrenia-like disorder in the liquidator who was ill with COVID-19. Conclusion(s) The linkage between schizophrenia spectrum disorders following past exposure to ionizing radiation and SARS CoV-2 infection can exist that should be studied on the irradiated cohorts with following COVID-19.