Figure 1.
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pictures from investigation of fresh cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Microscopic pictures of representative structures categorized as containing ‘no particles’, ‘few particles’, ‘several particles’ and ’many particles’. A) No particles ×2000, B) few particles ×4000, C) several particles ×2000, and D) many particles ×2000. The CSF is applied on gold plated polycarbonate filters with 0.6 µm pores that may be used for size reference. A) Demonstrates a filter from a healthy singleton control free of spherical particles and with a small peel of skin in the middle. B) The size of the spherical particles from an unaffected co-twin in is about 0.1 µm in diameter similar to the size of microvesicles. C) A filter from a twin with schizoaffective disorder showing spherical particles with the appearance of small lipid bodies, sizes between 0.1 to 8.0 µm, mainly located in the margin of compact aggregates adhering together in a viscous state. D) CSF from a patient with more than 30 years history of schizophrenia, displaying spherical particles ranging from 0.2 to 5 µm in diameter dispersed over a larger part of the filter.
Figure 2.
Polycarbonate filter (left) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) picture from a healthy control (right).
To the left a photo of a polycarbonate filter with 10 mm diameter and 0.6 µm pores fitted to an airtight device. The red ring in the centre indicates the area where the morphological structures are concentrated during the vacuum suction after 200 µL of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been applied on top of the filter. To the right a SEM picture (×2000) from a healthy control. She was the only one of the 65 healthy controls displaying particles her CSF. In the upper left corner is a cell of phagocyte type with a chord extending towards a larger cluster of spherical particles with a diameter of 0.1–0.2 µm located in the center of the filter.
Table 1.
Diagnostic classification in 37 twins participating in the CSF study.
Table 2.
Subgroups for analysis of CSF data and the distribution of the diagnostic categories.
Table 3.
Sample demographics and laboratory data of 102 subjects included in the study.
Table 4.
Distribution of scanning electron microscopic findings in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and results from the logistic regression analysis.
Table 5.
First fraction of cerebrospinal fluid (0.2 mL of 0.6 mL) examined with scanning electron microscope in twins and singleton controls.
Table 6.
Second fraction of cerebrospinal fluid (0.2 mL of 12 mL) examined with scanning electron microscope in twins and singleton controls.
Figure 3.
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) picture of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from monozygotic twins unaffected by psychotic disorder.
SEM pictures of a polycarbonate filter with the first fraction of CSF from a monozygotic twin pair unaffected by psychotic illness, but with a medical history of episodic depressions and atrial fibrillation. Both twins displayed the highest CSF albumin concentration in the study. The twin in figure A) also had a history of Parkinson's disease treated with L-dopa. Figure B) contains subcellular structures with spherical shapes.
Figure 4.
Albumin ratio CSF/serum versus blood leukocytes in 37 twin subjects.
A nonparametric bivariate density graphic plot of the albumin ratio expressed as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) albumin (mg/L)/serum albumin (g/L) on the ordinate vs. the leukocyte number ×109/L on the abscissa in 37 twins. To the right are two outliers with a high albumin ratio, indicating that they have a defect in their blood-CSF barrier function (for individual albumin ratio see Table S1 in Supporting Information).