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Antonijevic M, Dallemagne P, Rochais C. Indirect influence on the BDNF/TrkB receptor signaling pathway via GPCRs, an emerging strategy in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Med Res Rev 2024. [PMID: 39180386 DOI: 10.1002/med.22075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
Neuronal survival depends on neurotrophins and their receptors. There are two types of neurotrophin receptors: a nonenzymatic, trans-membrane protein of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family-p75 receptor and the tyrosine kinase receptors (TrkR) A, B, and C. Activation of the TrkBR by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) or neurotrophin 4/5 (NT-4/5) promotes neuronal survival, differentiation, and synaptic function. It is shown that in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative conditions (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease) the BDNF/TrkBR signaling pathway is impaired. Since it is known that GPCRs and TrkR are regulating several cell functions by interacting with each other and generating a cross-communication in this review we have focused on the interaction between different GPCRs and their ligands on BDNF/TrkBR signaling pathway.
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de Bartolomeis A, Ciccarelli M, De Simone G, Mazza B, Barone A, Vellucci L. Canonical and Non-Canonical Antipsychotics' Dopamine-Related Mechanisms of Present and Next Generation Molecules: A Systematic Review on Translational Highlights for Treatment Response and Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065945. [PMID: 36983018 PMCID: PMC10051989 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric illness affecting almost 25 million people worldwide and is conceptualized as a disorder of synaptic plasticity and brain connectivity. Antipsychotics are the primary pharmacological treatment after more than sixty years after their introduction in therapy. Two findings hold true for all presently available antipsychotics. First, all antipsychotics occupy the dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) as an antagonist or partial agonist, even if with different affinity; second, D2R occupancy is the necessary and probably the sufficient mechanism for antipsychotic effect despite the complexity of antipsychotics' receptor profile. D2R occupancy is followed by coincident or divergent intracellular mechanisms, implying the contribution of cAMP regulation, β-arrestin recruitment, and phospholipase A activation, to quote some of the mechanisms considered canonical. However, in recent years, novel mechanisms related to dopamine function beyond or together with D2R occupancy have emerged. Among these potentially non-canonical mechanisms, the role of Na2+ channels at the dopamine at the presynaptic site, dopamine transporter (DAT) involvement as the main regulator of dopamine concentration at synaptic clefts, and the putative role of antipsychotics as chaperones for intracellular D2R sequestration, should be included. These mechanisms expand the fundamental role of dopamine in schizophrenia therapy and may have relevance to considering putatively new strategies for treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS), an extremely severe condition epidemiologically relevant and affecting almost 30% of schizophrenia patients. Here, we performed a critical evaluation of the role of antipsychotics in synaptic plasticity, focusing on their canonical and non-canonical mechanisms of action relevant to the treatment of schizophrenia and their subsequent implication for the pathophysiology and potential therapy of TRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea de Bartolomeis
- Section of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Translational and Molecular Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment-Resistant Psychosis, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University Medical School of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Mariateresa Ciccarelli
- Section of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Translational and Molecular Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment-Resistant Psychosis, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University Medical School of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe De Simone
- Section of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Translational and Molecular Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment-Resistant Psychosis, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University Medical School of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Benedetta Mazza
- Section of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Translational and Molecular Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment-Resistant Psychosis, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University Medical School of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Annarita Barone
- Section of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Translational and Molecular Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment-Resistant Psychosis, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University Medical School of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Licia Vellucci
- Section of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Translational and Molecular Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment-Resistant Psychosis, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University Medical School of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
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Hemby SE, McIntosh S. Chronic haloperidol administration downregulates select BDNF transcript and protein levels in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of rhesus monkeys. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1054506. [PMID: 36816400 PMCID: PMC9932326 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1054506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-mortem studies in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampal formation from schizophrenia patients have revealed significant disruptions in the expression molecules associated with cytoarchitecture, synaptic structure, function, and plasticity, known to be regulated in part by brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Interestingly, several studies using postmortem brain tissue from individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia have revealed a significant reduction in BDNF mRNA and protein levels in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), hippocampus and related areas; however, differentiating the effects of illness from antipsychotic history has remained difficult. We hypothesized that chronic antipsychotic treatment may contribute to the altered BDNF mRNA and protein expression observed in post-mortem brains of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. To address the influence of antipsychotic administration on BDNF expression in the primate brain, rhesus monkeys orally administered haloperidol, clozapine, or vehicle twice daily for 180 days. We found BDNF splice variants 4 and 5 in the DLPFC and variant 2 in the EC were significantly down-regulated following chronic administration of haloperidol. In addition, proBDNF and mature BDNF expression in the DLPFC, but not the EC, were significantly reduced. Based on the known regulation of BDNF expression by BDNF-AS, we assessed the expression of this lncRNA and found expression was significantly upregulated in the DLPFC, but not EC. The results of the present study provide evidence of haloperidol-induced regulation of BDNF mRNA and protein expression in the DLFPC and suggest an important role for BDNF-AS in this regulation. Given the role of BDNF in synaptic plasticity, neuronal survival and maintenance, aberrant expression induced by haloperidol likely has significant ramifications for neuronal populations and circuits in primate cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott E Hemby
- Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy, High Point University, High Point, NC, United States
| | - Scot McIntosh
- Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy, High Point University, High Point, NC, United States
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Serotonin Receptor 5-HT2A Regulates TrkB Receptor Function in Heteroreceptor Complexes. Cells 2022; 11:cells11152384. [PMID: 35954229 PMCID: PMC9368268 DOI: 10.3390/cells11152384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Serotonin receptor 5-HT2A and tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) strongly contribute to neuroplasticity regulation and are implicated in numerous neuronal disorders. Here, we demonstrate a physical interaction between 5-HT2A and TrkB in vitro and in vivo using co-immunoprecipitation and biophysical and biochemical approaches. Heterodimerization decreased TrkB autophosphorylation, preventing its activation with agonist 7,8-DHF, even with low 5-HT2A receptor expression. A blockade of 5-HT2A receptor with the preferential antagonist ketanserin prevented the receptor-mediated downregulation of TrkB phosphorylation without restoring the TrkB response to its agonist 7,8-DHF in vitro. In adult mice, intraperitoneal ketanserin injection increased basal TrkB phosphorylation in the frontal cortex and hippocampus, which is in accordance with our findings demonstrating the prevalence of 5-HT2A–TrkB heteroreceptor complexes in these brain regions. An expression analysis revealed strong developmental regulation of 5-HT2A and TrkB expressions in the cortex, hippocampus, and especially the striatum, demonstrating that the balance between TrkB and 5-HT2A may shift in certain brain regions during postnatal development. Our data reveal the functional role of 5-HT2A–TrkB receptor heterodimerization and suggest that the regulated expression of 5-HT2A and TrkB is a molecular mechanism for the brain-region-specific modulation of TrkB functions during development and under pathophysiological conditions.
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Present and future antipsychotic drugs: a systematic review of the putative mechanisms of action for efficacy and a critical appraisal under a translational perspective. Pharmacol Res 2022; 176:106078. [PMID: 35026403 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2022.106078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Antipsychotics represent the mainstay of schizophrenia pharmacological therapy, and their role has been expanded in the last years to mood disorders treatment. Although introduced in 1952, many years of research were required before an accurate picture of how antipsychotics work began to emerge. Despite the well-recognized characterization of antipsychotics in typical and atypical based on their liability to induce motor adverse events, their main action at dopamine D2R to elicit the "anti-psychotic" effect, as well as the multimodal action at other classes of receptors, their effects on intracellular mechanisms starting with receptor occupancy is still not completely understood. Significant lines of evidence converge on the impact of these compounds on multiple molecular signaling pathways implicated in the regulation of early genes and growth factors, dendritic spine shape, brain inflammation, and immune response, tuning overall the function and architecture of the synapse. Here we present, based on PRISMA approach, a comprehensive and systematic review of the above mechanisms under a translational perspective to disentangle those intracellular actions and signaling that may underline clinically relevant effects and represent potential targets for further innovative strategies in antipsychotic therapy.
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Badrlou E, Ghafouri-Fard S, Omrani MD, Neishabouri SM, Arsang-Jang S, Taheri M, Pouresmaeili F. Expression of BDNF-Associated lncRNAs in Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia Patients. J Mol Neurosci 2021; 71:2249-2259. [PMID: 33403596 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-020-01772-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a decisive role in the development of the central nervous system and modulation, differentiation, and function of neurons. Thus, any abnormal pattern of expression of these transcripts might alter normal development leading to neuropsychiatric disorders. In this regard, transcripts of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and four BDNF-associated lncRNAs (BDNF-AS, MIR137HG, MIAT, and PNKY) were evaluated in the peripheral blood of schizophrenia (SCZ) patients as well as normal subjects. The results indicated that the relative expression (RE) of PNKY was higher in SCZ patients as compared with controls (posterior beta of RE = 2.605, P value = 0.006) and in female patients compared with female controls (posterior beta of RE = 2.831, P value < 0.0001). BDNF expression was also higher in SCZ patients when compared with controls (posterior beta of RE = 0.64, P value < 0.036). Finally, a correlation was detected between the disease status and gender in terms of BDNF-AS expression (P value = 0.026). An inverse correlation was also found between levels of PNKY and age in the control group (r = - 0.30, P value < 0.0001). Expressions of BDNF and all lncRNAs were correlated with each other in both patients and controls. PNKY had the best diagnostic power among all assessed genes in the identification of disease status (area under curve = 0.78). BDNF, BDNF-AS, MIR137HG, and MIAT genes could discriminate SCZ patients from normal subjects with diagnostic power of 71%, 72%, 67%, and 68%, respectively. The current investigation suggests the possibility of the application of transcript levels of lncRNAs as an SCZ diagnostic marker. However, it warrants further studies in larger sample sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Badrlou
- Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard
- Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mir Davood Omrani
- Urology and Nephrology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Shahram Arsang-Jang
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cancer Gene Therapy Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Taheri
- Urogenital Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Farkhondeh Pouresmaeili
- Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Kalejahi P, Kheirouri S, Noorazar SG, Sanayei M. The relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor and metabolic syndrome in patients with chronic schizophrenia: A systematic review. Neuropeptides 2021; 87:102135. [PMID: 33812160 DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2021.102135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Schizophrenia is a serious long-term disorder in which the metabolic complications and abnormalities of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) can be found. In this study, we conducted a systematic review of the relationship between BDNF, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in schizophrenic patients. METHODS Data were collected mainly from PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and ProQuest databases. The keywords related to the BDNF, MetS, schizophrenia were searched. Two reviewers independently screened 1061 abstracts. And eventually, a total of 7 studies (6 observational and 1 interventional) was included in the systematic reviews. RESULTS Four of the 7 study ascertained statistically significant inverse relationship between serum BDNF levels and MetS in schizophrenic patients. While in the other two studies, there was no inverse relationship. In the last selected study, the researchers found a weak association between the Val66Met polymorphism in BDNF Gene and clozapine-induced MetS. CONCLUSION Although this relationship could not be determined but BDNF levels appear to be reduced in schizophrenic patients with MetS and factors such as sex and antipsychotic class differentiation, sampling and methodology and episodes of illness could play a role in the results and outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parinaz Kalejahi
- Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Sorayya Kheirouri
- Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Seyyed Gholamreza Noorazar
- Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mahzad Sanayei
- Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in first-episode schizophrenia and healthy controls: A comparative study. Asian J Psychiatr 2020; 54:102370. [PMID: 33271690 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abnormalities in brain development and plasticity have been associated with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in schizophrenia is the recent area of interest because it regulates neurogenesis. The current study aimed to assess and compare serum BDNF levels between first-episode schizophrenia patients and healthy controls, and evaluate its correlation with the socio-demographic and clinical variables. METHODOLOGY It was a cross-sectional comparative study for the assessment of serum BDNF levels between patients with first-episode schizophrenia (N=50) and healthy controls (N-50) conducted in the Department of Psychiatry at a tertiary care public hospital attached to a medical school in North India. Participants were assessed for the socio-demographic parameters, nicotine dependence, and clinical details using structured scales. Serum BDNF level estimated using the sandwich ELISA technique. The comparison between the groups was done by using a Student t-test or chi-square test. Spearman correlation was performed between mean BDNF scores and demographic or illness variables in both first-episode schizophrenia and healthy control groups. RESULTS There was a significantly lower mean score of total serum BDNF levels in first-episode schizophrenia patients as compared to controls (8.44 ± 1.54 vs 10.44 ± 2.04; t = 5.52, p < 0.001; 95% CI = 1.28-2.71). The total FTND scores for smokeless tobacco use were negatively correlated to BDNF levels among healthy controls (r=-0.30, p=0.03) as well as in the first-episode schizophrenia group (r=-0.32, p= 0.04). None of the other illness-related variables were correlated to serum BDNF values in the first episode schizophrenia group. CONCLUSION Individuals with first-episode schizophrenia have lower serum BDNF levels than healthy controls. The illness-related factors such as duration of untreated psychosis or psychopathology were not correlated with BDNF levels. Thus abnormal signaling of BDNF can lead to abnormal brain functioning which can make an individual more susceptible to schizophrenia.
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Li N, Cao T, Wu X, Tang M, Xiang D, Cai H. Progress in Genetic Polymorphisms Related to Lipid Disturbances Induced by Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs. Front Pharmacol 2020; 10:1669. [PMID: 32116676 PMCID: PMC7011106 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic side effects such as weight gain and disturbed lipid metabolism are often observed in the treatment of atypical antipsychotic drugs (AAPDs), which contribute to an excessive prevalence of metabolic syndrome among schizophrenic patients. Great individual differences are observed but the underlying mechanisms are still uncertain. Research on pharmacogenomics indicates that gene polymorphisms involved in the pathways controlling food intake and lipid metabolism may play a significant role. In this review, relevant genes (HTR2C, DRD2, LEP, NPY, MC4R, BDNF, MC4R, CNR1, INSIG2, ADRA2A) and genetic polymorphisms related to metabolic side effects of AAPDs especially dyslipidemia were summarized. Apart from clinical studies, in vitro and in vivo evidence is also analyzed to support related theories. The association of central and peripheral mechanisms is emphasized, enabling the possibility of using peripheral gene expression to predict the central status. Novel methodological development of pharmacogenomics is in urgent need, so as to provide references for individualized medication and further to shed some light on the mechanisms underlying AAPD-induced lipid disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Li
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Ting Cao
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiangxin Wu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Mimi Tang
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Institute of Hospital Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Daxiong Xiang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Hualin Cai
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Wesołowska A, Jastrzębska-Więsek M, Cios A, Partyka A. The preclinical discovery and development of paliperidone for the treatment of schizophrenia. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2019; 15:279-292. [DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2020.1682994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Wesołowska
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Agnieszka Cios
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Partyka
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Kraków, Poland
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Increased plasma Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels in females with schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2019; 209:212-217. [PMID: 31088701 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) acts as a critical regulator of synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity. Sex differences have been demonstrated in many aspects of schizophrenia. This study tested for sex-specific differences in peripheral BDNF levels in people with schizophrenia and healthy controls. We measured circulating plasma BDNF levels in 95 people with schizophrenia and 80 healthy controls. Plasma BDNF levels were significantly elevated in females with schizophrenia compared to males with schizophrenia and to female healthy controls. These results suggest that sex differences in peripheral BDNF levels may contribute to other sex related differences in schizophrenia.
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von Wilmsdorff M, Manthey F, Bouvier ML, Staehlin O, Falkai P, Meisenzahl-Lechner E, Schmitt A, Gebicke-Haerter PJ. Effects of haloperidol and clozapine on synapse-related gene expression in specific brain regions of male rats. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2018; 268:555-563. [PMID: 29404686 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-018-0872-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the effects of clozapine and haloperidol, drugs that are widely used in the treatment of schizophrenia, on gene expression in six cortical and subcortical brain regions of adult rats. Drug treatments started at postnatal day 85 and continued over a 12-week period. Ten animals received haloperidol (1 mg/kg bodyweight) and ten received clozapine (20 mg/kg bodyweight) orally each day. Ten control rats received no drugs. The ten genes selected for this study did not belong to the dopaminergic or serotoninergic systems, which are typically targeted by the two substances, but coded for proteins of the cytoskeleton and proteins belonging to the synaptic transmitter release machinery. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed in the prelimbic cortex, cingulate gyrus (CG1) and caudate putamen and in the hippocampal cornu ammonis 1 (CA1), cornu ammonis 3 (CA3) and dentate gyrus. Results show distinct patterns of gene expression under the influence of the two drugs, but also distinct gene regulations dependent on the brain regions. Haloperidol-medicated animals showed statistically significant downregulation of SNAP-25 in CA3 (p = 0.0134) and upregulation of STX1A in CA1 (p = 0.0133) compared to controls. Clozapine-treated animals showed significant downregulation of SNAP-25 in CG1 (p = 0.0013). Our results clearly reveal that the drugs' effects are different between brain regions. These effects are possibly indirectly mediated through feedback mechanisms by proteins targeted by the drugs, but direct effects of haloperidol or clozapine on mechanisms of gene expression cannot be excluded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina von Wilmsdorff
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Fabian Manthey
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Alexianer Krefeld GmbH, Krefeld, Germany
| | - Marie-Luise Bouvier
- Laboratory of Brain Morphology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LVR Klinikum, Heinrich-Heine-University, Bergische Landstr.2, 40629, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | | | - Peter Falkai
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Eva Meisenzahl-Lechner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Andrea Schmitt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
- Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM27), Institute of Psychiatry, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Peter J Gebicke-Haerter
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Jóźwiak-Bębenista M, Jasińska-Stroschein M, Kowalczyk E. Involvement of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in the mechanism of neuroleptic drugs. Pharmacol Rep 2018; 70:1032-1039. [PMID: 30144664 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharep.2018.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent evidence suggests that the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK)-associated signaling pathway in the frontal cortical areas demonstrates abnormal activity in cases of schizophrenia. Moreover, schizophrenia patients often display alterations in the regional cellular energy metabolism and blood flow of the brain; these are shown to parallel changes in angiogenesis primarily mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). METHODS The present study examines the differential effects of time-dependent treatment with haloperidol, olanzapine and amisulpride (20μM) on VEGF and MAPK mRNA expression and VEGF level, using the T98 cell line as an example of nerve cells. For the purposes of comparison, the effect of neuroprotective pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) on the expression of VEGF mRNA and secretion were also evaluated in this cell model. RESULTS RT-PCR analysis revealed that all the tested neuroleptics increased VEGF mRNA expression after 72-h incubation; however, only haloperidol and olanzapine also increased the level of VEGF detected by ELISA, and they demonstrated significantly stronger effects than PACAP. Haloperidol and olanzapine, but not amisulpride, decreased MAPK14 mRNA expression in T98G cells after 72-h incubation. CONCLUSION The obtained results suggest that haloperidol and olanzapine can trigger the MAPK and VEGF signaling pathway, which may contribute to their neuroprotective mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Jóźwiak-Bębenista
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Interfaculty Chair of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland.
| | | | - Edward Kowalczyk
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Interfaculty Chair of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland
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Abstract
Brain expression of klotho was first described with the initial discovery of the klotho gene. The prominent age-regulating effects of klotho are attributed to regulation of ion homeostasis through klotho function in the kidney. However, recent advances identified brain functions and cell populations, including adult hippocampal neural progenitors, which require klotho. As well, both human correlational studies and mouse models of disease show that klotho is protective against multiple neurological and psychological disorders. This review focuses on current knowledge as to how the klotho protein effects the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai T Vo
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Ann M Laszczyk
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Zina Pitcher Pl, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Gwendalyn D King
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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Aringhieri S, Carli M, Kolachalam S, Verdesca V, Cini E, Rossi M, McCormick PJ, Corsini GU, Maggio R, Scarselli M. Molecular targets of atypical antipsychotics: From mechanism of action to clinical differences. Pharmacol Ther 2018; 192:20-41. [PMID: 29953902 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2018.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The introduction of atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) since the discovery of its prototypical drug clozapine has been a revolutionary pharmacological step for treating psychotic patients as these allow a significant recovery not only in terms of hospitalization and reduction in symptoms severity, but also in terms of safety, socialization and better rehabilitation in the society. Regarding the mechanism of action, AAPs are weak D2 receptor antagonists and they act beyond D2 antagonism, involving other receptor targets which regulate dopamine and other neurotransmitters. Consequently, AAPs present a significant reduction of deleterious side effects like parkinsonism, hyperprolactinemia, apathy and anhedonia, which are all linked to the strong blockade of D2 receptors. This review revisits previous and current findings within the class of AAPs and highlights the differences in terms of receptor properties and clinical activities among them. Furthermore, we propose a continuum spectrum of "atypia" that begins with risperidone (the least atypical) to clozapine (the most atypical), while all the other AAPs fall within the extremes of this spectrum. Clozapine is still considered the gold standard in refractory schizophrenia and in psychoses present in Parkinson's disease, though it has been associated with adverse effects like agranulocytosis (0.7%) and weight gain, pushing the scientific community to find new drugs as effective as clozapine, but devoid of its side effects. To achieve this, it is therefore imperative to characterize and compare in depth the very complex molecular profile of AAPs. We also introduce relatively new concepts like biased agonism, receptor dimerization and neurogenesis to identify better the old and new hallmarks of "atypia". Finally, a detailed confrontation of clinical differences among the AAPs is presented, especially in relation to their molecular targets, and new means like therapeutic drug monitoring are also proposed to improve the effectiveness of AAPs in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Aringhieri
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Carli
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - Shivakumar Kolachalam
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - Valeria Verdesca
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - Enrico Cini
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - Mario Rossi
- Institute of Molecular Cell and Systems Biology, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - Peter J McCormick
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Giovanni U Corsini
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - Roberto Maggio
- Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences Department, University of L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Marco Scarselli
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Italy.
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16
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Krivoy A, Hochman E, Sendt KV, Hollander S, Vilner Y, Selakovic M, Weizman A, Taler M. Association between serum levels of glutamate and neurotrophic factors and response to clozapine treatment. Schizophr Res 2018; 192:226-231. [PMID: 28599751 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.05.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2017] [Revised: 05/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Clozapine is the only available therapy for about 30% of schizophrenia patients otherwise refractory to antipsychotics. Unfortunately, the mechanism of action of the drug is still unknown and there are no biomarkers that can predict a positive response to clozapine. We aimed to examine serum neurotrophins and glutamate levels as putative biomarkers for clozapine response based on the hypothesized mode-of-action of the compound. Blood samples of 89 chronic schizophrenia patients maintained on clozapine were analyzed in a cross-sectional design. Serum brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), neurotrophic growth factor (NGF), glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and glutamate were determined. Differences between responders and non-responders to clozapine and correlation between clinical and biological measures were analyzed. Our sample consisted of 54 (61%) responders and 35 (39%) non-responders. Responders had higher mean BDNF levels than non-responders (2066±814 vs. 1668±820pg/ml, p<0.05. respectively) and higher serum glutamate levels (1.61±2.2 vs. 0.66±0.9pg/ml, respectively, p<0.05). Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between serum glutamate levels and positive symptoms among the clozapine-responder group (rho=0.47, p<0.005). High serum levels of BDNF and glutamate were associated with response to clozapine, while glutamate levels correlated with the psychosis severity in clozapine responders only. Large-scale, prospective longitudinal studies are needed to support these findings and the assumption that serum glutamate and BDNF can discriminate between clozapine responders and non-responders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Krivoy
- Geha Mental Health Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Laboratory of Biological Psychiatry, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute Of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Eldar Hochman
- Geha Mental Health Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Laboratory of Biological Psychiatry, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel
| | - Kyra-Verena Sendt
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute Of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sarah Hollander
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Laboratory of Biological Psychiatry, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel
| | - Yael Vilner
- Geha Mental Health Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel
| | - Mirjana Selakovic
- Department of Psychiatry, Sismanoglio General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Abraham Weizman
- Geha Mental Health Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Laboratory of Biological Psychiatry, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel
| | - Michal Taler
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Laboratory of Biological Psychiatry, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel
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17
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de Bartolomeis A, Buonaguro EF, Latte G, Rossi R, Marmo F, Iasevoli F, Tomasetti C. Immediate-Early Genes Modulation by Antipsychotics: Translational Implications for a Putative Gateway to Drug-Induced Long-Term Brain Changes. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:240. [PMID: 29321734 PMCID: PMC5732183 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
An increasing amount of research aims at recognizing the molecular mechanisms involved in long-lasting brain architectural changes induced by antipsychotic treatments. Although both structural and functional modifications have been identified following acute antipsychotic administration in humans, currently there is scarce knowledge on the enduring consequences of these acute changes. New insights in immediate-early genes (IEGs) modulation following acute or chronic antipsychotic administration may help to fill the gap between primary molecular response and putative long-term changes. Moreover, a critical appraisal of the spatial and temporal patterns of IEGs expression may shed light on the functional "signature" of antipsychotics, such as the propensity to induce motor side effects, the potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying the differences between antipsychotics beyond D2 dopamine receptor affinity, as well as the relevant effects of brain region-specificity in their mechanisms of action. The interest for brain IEGs modulation after antipsychotic treatments has been revitalized by breakthrough findings such as the role of early genes in schizophrenia pathophysiology, the involvement of IEGs in epigenetic mechanisms relevant for cognition, and in neuronal mapping by means of IEGs expression profiling. Here we critically review the evidence on the differential modulation of IEGs by antipsychotics, highlighting the association between IEGs expression and neuroplasticity changes in brain regions impacted by antipsychotics, trying to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underpinning the effects of this class of drugs on psychotic, cognitive and behavioral symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea de Bartolomeis
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Elisabetta F Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Gianmarco Latte
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Rodolfo Rossi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Federica Marmo
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Felice Iasevoli
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Carmine Tomasetti
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry and Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine "Federico II", Naples, Italy
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18
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Chiou YJ, Huang TL. Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factors in Taiwanese patients with drug-naïve first-episode schizophrenia: Effects of antipsychotics. World J Biol Psychiatry 2017; 18:382-391. [PMID: 27643618 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2016.1224925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) are known to be related to the psychopathology of schizophrenia. However, studies focussing on drug-naïve first-episode schizophrenia are still rare. METHODS Over a 5-year period, we investigated the serum BDNF levels in patients with first-episode drug-naïve schizophrenia and compared them to age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We also explored the association between antipsychotic doses, positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) scores, and serum BDNF levels before and after a 4-week antipsychotic treatment. RESULTS The baseline serum BDNF levels of 34 patients were significantly lower than those of the controls (df = 66, P = .001). Although the PANSS scores of 20 followed-up patients improved significantly after antipsychotic treatment, the elevation of the serum BDNF levels was not statistically significant (P = .386). In addition, Pearson's correlation test showed significant correlations between pre-treatment negative scale scores and percentage changes in BDNF (P = .002). CONCLUSIONS The peripheral BDNF levels in Taiwanese patients with drug-naïve first-episode schizophrenia, compared with healthy controls, did not elevate after antipsychotic treatment, and pre-treatment negative symptoms played a pivotal role in trajectories of serum BDNF levels. Large samples will be needed in future studies to verify these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Jie Chiou
- a Department of Psychiatry , Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine , Kaohsiung , Taiwan
| | - Tiao-Lai Huang
- a Department of Psychiatry , Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine , Kaohsiung , Taiwan
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19
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Perreault ML, Fan T, Banasikowski TJ, Grace AA, George SR. The atypical dopamine receptor agonist SKF 83959 enhances hippocampal and prefrontal cortical neuronal network activity in a rat model of cognitive dysfunction. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 46:2015-2025. [PMID: 28677227 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Revised: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in neuronal network synchrony in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex have been widely demonstrated in disorders of cognitive dysfunction, including schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. The atypical dopamine agonist SKF 83959 has been shown to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor signalling and suppress activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3 in PFC, two processes important to learning and memory. The purpose of this study was to therefore evaluate the impact of SKF 83959 on oscillatory deficits in methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) rat model of schizophrenia. To achieve this, local field potentials were recorded simultaneously from the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of anesthetized rats at 15 and 90 min following both acute and repeated administration of SKF 83959 (0.4 mg/kg). In MAM rats, but not controls, repeated SKF 83959 treatment increased signal amplitude in hippocampus and enhanced the spectral power of low frequency delta and theta oscillations in this region. In PFC, SKF 83959 increased delta, theta and gamma spectral power. Increased HIP-PFC theta coherence was also evident following acute and repeated SKF 83959. In apparent contradiction to these oscillatory effects, in MAM rats, SKF 83959 inhibited spatial learning and induced a significant increase in thigmotactic behaviour. These findings have uncovered a previously unknown role for SKF 83959 in the positive regulation of hippocampal-prefrontal cortical oscillatory network activity. As SKF 83959 is known to have affinity for a number of receptors, delineating the receptor mechanisms that mediate the positive drug effects on neuronal oscillations could have significant future implications in disorders associated with cognitive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L Perreault
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Bldg. Room 4358, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Theresa Fan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Bldg. Room 4358, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Tomek J Banasikowski
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Susan R George
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Bldg. Room 4358, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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20
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Einoch R, Weinreb O, Mandiuk N, Youdim MBH, Bilker W, Silver H. The involvement of BDNF-CREB signaling pathways in the pharmacological mechanism of combined SSRI- antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2017; 27:470-483. [PMID: 28410959 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2017.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies into the mechanism of SSRI-antipsychotic synergism in our laboratory identified unique changes in the brain, particularly in the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptor and its modulators. This study examined the role of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-cAMP response element binding (CREB) protein signaling pathways, including protein kinase B (AKT), glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β and related molecules in the molecular response to haloperidol, fluvoxamine, combined haloperidol+fluvoxamine and clozapine treatments in rat frontal cortex, hippocampus and primary cortical neuronal cultures. The effect of fluvoxamine augmentation on BDNF-CREB pathways in peripheral mononuclear cells (PMC׳s) of medicated schizophrenia patients was also studied. Chronic haloperidol (1mg/kg) +fluvoxamine (10mg/kg) treatment increased TrkB receptor and BDNF expression levels, and the phosphorylation of AKT/CREB/GSK-3β, compared to the individual drugs in rat brain. In addition, haloperidol+fluvoxamine treatment improved cognitive functions in rats, indicating that the molecular changes may have a role in behavioral improvement. In primary neuronal cell cultures, pretreatment with a selective PI3K inhibitor abolished the haloperidol+fluvoxamine-induced phosphorylation of AKT and GSK-3β, but did not affect the upregulation of CREB phosphorylation. In the clinic, PMC׳s of treated patients showed upregulation of mRNA expression and protein levels of BDNF, CREB and AKT after addition of fluvoxamine. Analyses of PMC genes and proteins showed significant inter-correlations and some gene changes correlated with improvement in negative and cognitive symptoms. Our study provides new knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of symptom amelioration in schizophrenia and may advance development of new drugs for this disease and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reef Einoch
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Unit, Shaar Menashe Brain Behavior Laboratory, Shaar Menashe MHC and Technion-Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel; Eve Topf and National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research, Department of Pharmacology, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel
| | - Orly Weinreb
- Eve Topf and National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research, Department of Pharmacology, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel
| | - Nina Mandiuk
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Unit, Shaar Menashe Brain Behavior Laboratory, Shaar Menashe MHC and Technion-Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel
| | - Moussa B H Youdim
- Eve Topf and National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research, Department of Pharmacology, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel
| | - Warren Bilker
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Henry Silver
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Unit, Shaar Menashe Brain Behavior Laboratory, Shaar Menashe MHC and Technion-Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel; Eve Topf and National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research, Department of Pharmacology, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel.
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21
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Perkovic MN, Erjavec GN, Strac DS, Uzun S, Kozumplik O, Pivac N. Theranostic Biomarkers for Schizophrenia. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:E733. [PMID: 28358316 PMCID: PMC5412319 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18040733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a highly heritable, chronic, severe, disabling neurodevelopmental brain disorder with a heterogeneous genetic and neurobiological background, which is still poorly understood. To allow better diagnostic procedures and therapeutic strategies in schizophrenia patients, use of easy accessible biomarkers is suggested. The most frequently used biomarkers in schizophrenia are those associated with the neuroimmune and neuroendocrine system, metabolism, different neurotransmitter systems and neurotrophic factors. However, there are still no validated and reliable biomarkers in clinical use for schizophrenia. This review will address potential biomarkers in schizophrenia. It will discuss biomarkers in schizophrenia and propose the use of specific blood-based panels that will include a set of markers associated with immune processes, metabolic disorders, and neuroendocrine/neurotrophin/neurotransmitter alterations. The combination of different markers, or complex multi-marker panels, might help in the discrimination of patients with different underlying pathologies and in the better classification of the more homogenous groups. Therefore, the development of the diagnostic, prognostic and theranostic biomarkers is an urgent and an unmet need in psychiatry, with the aim of improving diagnosis, therapy monitoring, prediction of treatment outcome and focus on the personal medicine approach in order to improve the quality of life in patients with schizophrenia and decrease health costs worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dubravka Svob Strac
- Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Division of Molecular Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Suzana Uzun
- Clinic for Psychiatry Vrapce, 10090 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | | | - Nela Pivac
- Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Division of Molecular Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
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22
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Kalayci F, Ozdemir A, Saribas S, Yuksel P, Ergin S, Kuskucu AM, Poyraz CA, Balcioglu I, Alpay N, Kurt A, Sezgin Z, Kocak BT, Icel RS, Can G, Tokman HB, Kocazeybek B. The relationship of Chlamydophila pneumoniae with schizophrenia: The role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) in this relationship. Rev Argent Microbiol 2017; 49:39-49. [PMID: 28256360 DOI: 10.1016/j.ram.2016.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Revised: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Several pathogens have been suspected of playing a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Chronic inflammation has been proposed to occur as a result of persistent infection caused by Chlamydophila pneumoniae cells that reside in brain endothelial cells for many years. It was recently hypothesized that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) may play prominent roles in the development of schizophrenia. NT-3 and BDNF levels have been suggested to change in response to various manifestations of infection. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the roles of BDNF and NT3 in the schizophrenia-C. pneumoniae infection relationship. RT-PCR, immunofluorescence and ELISA methods were used. Fifty patients suffering from schizophrenia and 35 healthy individuals were included as the patient group (PG) and the healthy control group (HCG), respectively. We detected persistent infection in 14 of the 50 individuals in the PG and in 1 of the 35 individuals in the HCG. A significant difference was found between the two groups (p<0.05). Twenty-two individuals in the PG and 13 in the HCG showed seropositivity for past C. pneumoniae infection, and no difference was observed between the groups (p>0.05). C. pneumoniae DNA was not detected in any group. A significant difference in NT-3 levels was observed between the groups, with very low levels in the PG (p<0.001). A significant difference in BDNF levels was also found, with lower levels in the PG (p<0.05). The mean serum NT-3 level was higher in the PG cases with C. pneumoniae seropositivity than in seronegative cases; however, this difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). In conclusion, we suggest that NT-3 levels during persistent C. pneumoniae infection may play a role in this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatma Kalayci
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Armagan Ozdemir
- T.C. Health Ministry Bakirkoy Mental Health and Neurology Training and Research Hospital Psychiatry Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Suat Saribas
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Pelin Yuksel
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Sevgi Ergin
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ali Mert Kuskucu
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Cana Aksoy Poyraz
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ibrahim Balcioglu
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Nihat Alpay
- T.C. Health Ministry Bakirkoy Mental Health and Neurology Training and Research Hospital Psychiatry Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Aykut Kurt
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Zeynep Sezgin
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Banu Tufan Kocak
- T.C. Health Ministry Erenkoy Mental Health and Neurology Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Rana Sucu Icel
- T.C. Health Ministry, Sisli Etfal Education and Research Hospital, Department of Blood Center, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gunay Can
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Public Health, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Hrisi Bahar Tokman
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Bekir Kocazeybek
- Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey.
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23
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Jóźwiak-Bębenista M, Jasińska-Stroschein M, Kowalczyk E. The differential effects of neuroleptic drugs and PACAP on the expression of BDNF mRNA and protein in a human glioblastoma cell line. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars) 2017. [DOI: 10.21307/ane-2017-054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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24
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Jóźwiak-Bębenista M, Kowalczyk E. Neuroleptic Drugs and PACAP Differentially Affect the mRNA Expression of Genes Encoding PAC1/VPAC Type Receptors. Neurochem Res 2016; 42:943-952. [PMID: 27900577 PMCID: PMC5375968 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-016-2127-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Revised: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Several lines of evidence suggest that pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide playing an important role as a neuromodulator. It has been indicated that PACAP is associated with mental diseases, and that regulation of the PACAPergic signals could be a potential target for the treatment of such psychiatric states as schizophrenia. Recent studies have suggested that action of neuroleptic drugs is mediated not only by dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission, but also via neuropeptides which may act both as neurotransmitters and as neuromodulators. The present study examines whether currently-used neuroleptics influence the action of PACAP receptors, whose expression is altered in a schizophrenic patient. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to examine the effects of haloperidol, olanzapine and amisulpride on the expression of genes coding PAC1/VPAC type receptors in the T98G glioblastoma cell line, as an example of an in vitro model of glial cells. PAC1 mRNA expression fell after 24-h incubation with haloperidol or olanzapine; however the effect was not maintained after 72 h, and haloperidol even up-regulated PAC1 mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. All the examined drugs decreased VPAC2 mRNA expression, especially after 72-h incubation. Haloperidol (typical neuroleptic) was distinctly more potent than atypical neuroleptic drugs (olanzapine and amisulpride). In addition, PACAP increased PAC1 and VPAC2 mRNA expression. In conclusion, our findings suggest PACAP receptors may be involved in the mechanism of typical and atypical neuroleptic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Jóźwiak-Bębenista
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Interfaculty Chair of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical University of Lodz, Zeligowskiego 7/9, 90-752, Lodz, Poland.
| | - Edward Kowalczyk
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Interfaculty Chair of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical University of Lodz, Zeligowskiego 7/9, 90-752, Lodz, Poland
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25
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Porcelli S, Crisafulli C, Calabrò M, Serretti A, Rujescu D. Possible biomarkers modulating haloperidol efficacy and/or tolerability. Pharmacogenomics 2016; 17:507-29. [PMID: 27023437 DOI: 10.2217/pgs.16.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Haloperidol (HP) is widely used in the treatment of several forms of psychosis. Despite of its efficacy, HP use is a cause of concern for the elevated risk of adverse drug reactions. adverse drug reactions risk and HP efficacy greatly vary across subjects, indicating the involvement of several factors in HP mechanism of action. The use of biomarkers that could monitor or even predict HP treatment impact would be of extreme importance. We reviewed the elements that could potentially be used as peripheral biomarkers of HP effectiveness. Although a validated biomarker still does not exist, we underlined the several potential findings (e.g., about cytokines, HP metabolites and genotypic biomarkers) which could pave the way for future research on HP biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Porcelli
- Department of Biomedical & NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Concetta Crisafulli
- Department of Biomedical Science & Morphological & Functional Images, University of Messina, Italy
| | - Marco Calabrò
- Department of Biomedical Science & Morphological & Functional Images, University of Messina, Italy
| | - Alessandro Serretti
- Department of Biomedical & NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Dan Rujescu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Halle, Halle, Germany
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Reinhart V, Bove SE, Volfson D, Lewis DA, Kleiman RJ, Lanz TA. Evaluation of TrkB and BDNF transcripts in prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum from subjects with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. Neurobiol Dis 2015; 77:220-7. [PMID: 25796564 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2015.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Revised: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/12/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling is integral to a range of neural functions, including synaptic plasticity and exhibits activity-dependent regulation of expression. As altered BDNF signaling has been implicated in multiple psychiatric diseases, here we report a quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of mRNAs encoding TrkB, total BDNF, and the four most abundant BDNF transcripts (I, IIc, IV, and VI) in postmortem tissue from matched tetrads of subjects with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy comparison subjects. In all three regions examined, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), associative striatum and hippocampus, total BDNF mRNA levels did not differ in any disease state. In DLPFC, BDNF IIc was significantly lower in schizophrenia relative to healthy comparison subjects. In hippocampus, BDNF I, IIc, and VI were lower in subjects with both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder relative to comparison subjects. In striatum, TrkB mRNA was lower in bipolar disorder and MDD, while BDNF IIc was elevated in MDD, relative to comparison subjects. These data highlight potential alterations in BDNF signaling in the corticohippocampal circuit in schizophrenia, and within the striatum in mood disorders. Novel therapies aimed at improving BDNF-TrkB signaling may therefore have potential to impact on a range of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - David A Lewis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Robin J Kleiman
- Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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Skilleter AJ, Weickert CS, Vercammen A, Lenroot R, Weickert TW. Peripheral BDNF: a candidate biomarker of healthy neural activity during learning is disrupted in schizophrenia. Psychol Med 2015; 45:841-854. [PMID: 25162472 PMCID: PMC4413857 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291714001925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2014] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an important regulator of synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity underlying learning. However, a relationship between circulating BDNF levels and brain activity during learning has not been demonstrated in humans. Reduced brain BDNF levels are found in schizophrenia and functional neuroimaging studies of probabilistic association learning in schizophrenia have demonstrated reduced activity in a neural network that includes the prefrontal and parietal cortices and the caudate nucleus. We predicted that brain activity would correlate positively with peripheral BDNF levels during probabilistic association learning in healthy adults and that this relationship would be altered in schizophrenia. METHOD Twenty-five healthy adults and 17 people with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder performed a probabilistic association learning test during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Plasma BDNF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS We found a positive correlation between circulating plasma BDNF levels and brain activity in the parietal cortex in healthy adults. There was no relationship between plasma BDNF levels and task-related activity in the prefrontal, parietal or caudate regions in schizophrenia. A direct comparison of these relationships between groups revealed a significant diagnostic difference. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to show a relationship between peripheral BDNF levels and cortical activity during learning, suggesting that plasma BDNF levels may reflect learning-related brain activity in healthy humans. The lack of relationship between plasma BDNF and task-related brain activity in patients suggests that circulating blood BDNF may not be indicative of learning-dependent brain activity in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. J. Skilleter
- School of Psychiatry,
University of New South Wales, Kensington,
NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia,
Randwick, NSW, Australia
- Schizophrenia Research Institute,
Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - C. S. Weickert
- School of Psychiatry,
University of New South Wales, Kensington,
NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia,
Randwick, NSW, Australia
- Schizophrenia Research Institute,
Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - A. Vercammen
- School of Psychiatry,
University of New South Wales, Kensington,
NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia,
Randwick, NSW, Australia
- Schizophrenia Research Institute,
Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - R. Lenroot
- School of Psychiatry,
University of New South Wales, Kensington,
NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia,
Randwick, NSW, Australia
- Schizophrenia Research Institute,
Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - T. W. Weickert
- School of Psychiatry,
University of New South Wales, Kensington,
NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia,
Randwick, NSW, Australia
- Schizophrenia Research Institute,
Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
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28
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Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor decreased in chronic ketamine abusers. Drug Alcohol Depend 2014; 142:290-4. [PMID: 25064020 PMCID: PMC4888958 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.06.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2014] [Revised: 05/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
AIMS This study investigated the serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in a group of chronic ketamine abusers in comparison to healthy controls. The correlations between the serum BDNF, NGF level with the subjects' demographic, pattern of ketamine use were also examined. METHODS 93 subjects who met the criteria of ketamine dependence and 39 healthy subjects were recruited. Serum BDNF and NGF levels were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Psychopathological symptoms were assessed using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). RESULTS Both serum levels of BDNF and NGF were significant lower in the ketamine users compared to the healthy control subjects (9.50±6.68 versus 14.37±6.07 ng/ml, p=0.019 for BDNF; 1.93±0.80 versus 2.60±1.07 ng/ml, p=0.011 for NGF). BDNF level was negatively associated with current frequency of ketamine use (r=-0.209, p=0.045). CONCLUSIONS Both BDNF and NGF serum concentrations were significantly lower among chronic ketamine users than among health controls.
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Shu Q, Qin R, Chen Y, Hu G, Li M. Asenapine sensitization from adolescence to adulthood and its potential molecular basis. Behav Brain Res 2014; 273:166-76. [PMID: 25093543 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.07.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Revised: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Asenapine is a new antipsychotic drug that induces a long-lasting behavioral sensitization in adult rats. The present study investigated the developmental impacts of adolescent asenapine treatment on drug sensitivity and on 3 proteins implicated in the action of antipsychotic drugs (i.e. brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), dopamine D2 receptor, and ΔFosB) in adulthood. Male adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats (postnatal days, P 43-48) were first treated with asenapine (0.05, 0.10 or 0.20mg/kg, sc) and tested in the conditioned avoidance or PCP (2.0mg/kg, sc)-induced hyperlocomotion tasks for 5 days. After they became adults (∼P 76), asenapine sensitization was assessed in a single avoidance or PCP-induced hyperlocomotion challenge test with all rats being injected with asenapine (0.10mg/kg, sc). Rats were then sacrificed 1 day later and BDNF, D2 and ΔFosB in the prefrontal cortex, striatum and hippocampus were examined using Western blotting. In adolescence, repeated asenapine treatment produced a persistent and dose-dependent inhibition of avoidance response, spontaneous motor activity and PCP-induced hyperlocomotion. In the asenapine challenge test, adult rats treated with asenapine (0.10 and 0.20mg/kg) in adolescence made significantly fewer avoidance responses and showed a stronger inhibition of spontaneous motor activity than those previously treated with saline. However, no group difference in the levels of BDNF, D2 and ΔFosB expression was found. These findings suggest that although adolescent asenapine treatment for a short period of time induces a robust behavioral sensitization that persists into adulthood, such a long-term effect is not likely to be mediated by BDNF, D2 and ΔFosB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Shu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China; Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
| | - Rongyin Qin
- Department of Neurology, The Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, PR China; Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA; Department of Neurology, Changzhou No. 2 People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Yingzhu Chen
- Department of Neurology, The Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Gang Hu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA.
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Ray MT, Shannon Weickert C, Webster MJ. Decreased BDNF and TrkB mRNA expression in multiple cortical areas of patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders. Transl Psychiatry 2014; 4:e389. [PMID: 24802307 PMCID: PMC4035720 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2014.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 03/09/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Abnormalities in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/trkB signaling have been implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia and mood disorders. Patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BPD) and major depression (MDD) have reduced levels of neurotrophins in their brains when compared with normal unaffected individuals; however, only a few brain areas have been examined to date. Owing to the broad range of symptoms manifested in these disorders, we hypothesized that multiple associative areas of the neocortex may be implicated and that the degree of change in BDNF and trkB-TK+ mRNA expression and the cortical region or layers involved may vary according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) diagnosis. We compared BDNF and trkB-TK+ mRNA levels across all layers of the prefrontal cortex (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, DLPFC), orbital frontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) and superior temporal gyrus (STG) in four groups: schizophrenia, BPD, MDD and unaffected controls (n=60). BDNF mRNA levels were significantly decreased in layers IV and V of DLPFC in schizophrenia patients, in layer VI of ACC in schizophrenia and MDD and in layer VI of ITG in schizophrenia, BPD and MDD. BDNF mRNA levels were also significantly decreased in layer V and/or VI of STG in schizophrenia, BPD and MDD. TrkB-TK+ mRNA levels were only significantly decreased in the cortical layer VI of OFC in BPD. The shared and distinct patterns of neurotrophin transcript reductions, with some specific to each group, may compromise the function and plasticity of distinct cortical areas to various degrees in the different groups and contribute to the range and overlap of symptoms manifested across the diagnoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- M T Ray
- Stanley Medical Research Institute, Laboratory of Brain Research, Rockville, MD, USA,Trinity Washington University, NE Washington, DC, USA
| | - C Shannon Weickert
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia,Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia,School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - M J Webster
- Stanley Medical Research Institute, Laboratory of Brain Research, Rockville, MD, USA,Stanley Laboratory of Brain Research, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. E-mail:
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Luoni A, Fumagalli F, Racagni G, Riva MA. Repeated aripiprazole treatment regulates Bdnf, Arc and Npas4 expression under basal condition as well as after an acute swim stress in the rat brain. Pharmacol Res 2013; 80:1-8. [PMID: 24309096 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2013.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2013] [Revised: 11/21/2013] [Accepted: 11/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Despite the rapid control of schizophrenic symptoms is due to the ability of antipsychotic drugs (APDs) to block D2 receptors in the mesolimbic pathway, it is now well-established that the therapeutic effects rely on adaptive mechanisms set in motion by their long-term administration. Such neuroplastic mechanisms depend on the pharmacological profile of the drug employed, with marked differences existing between first and second generation APDs. On these bases, the major accomplishment of this work was to investigate neuroadaptive changes set in motion by repeated treatment with aripiprazole, a novel APD that is unique for being a partial agonist at dopamine D2 receptors. Moreover, given that stress plays a critical role in the exacerbation of disease symptoms, we also investigated whether aripiprazole could influence the dynamic response of the brain to an acute challenge. We found that repeated aripiprazole treatment in rats regulates the expression of different markers of neuroplasticity such as Bdnf, Arc and Npas4 in a brain-region specific fashion; more importantly, the expression of these molecules was significantly up-regulated by an acute swim stress only in aripiprazole-treated animals, which is suggestive of increased ability to cope with the adverse event. We indeed found an overall facilitation of Bdnf expression, an effect that is mainly evident in the prefrontal cortex on the pool of transcripts undergoing dendritic localization. Overall, our results provide novel information regarding the mechanisms through which aripiprazole may regulate brain function and could contribute to improve neuroplastic defects that are associated with schizophrenia symptomatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Luoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgio Racagni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco A Riva
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
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Intracellular pathways of antipsychotic combined therapies: implication for psychiatric disorders treatment. Eur J Pharmacol 2013; 718:502-23. [PMID: 23834777 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2013.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2013] [Revised: 06/11/2013] [Accepted: 06/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Dysfunctions in the interplay among multiple neurotransmitter systems have been implicated in the wide range of behavioral, emotional and cognitive symptoms displayed by major psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression. The complex clinical presentation of these pathologies often needs the use of multiple pharmacological treatments, in particular (1) when monotherapy provides insufficient improvement of the core symptoms; (2) when there are concurrent additional symptoms requiring more than one class of medication and (3) in order to improve tolerability, by using two compounds below their individual dose thresholds to limit side effects. To date, the choice of drug combinations is based on empirical paradigm guided by clinical response. Nonetheless, several preclinical studies have demonstrated that drugs commonly used to treat psychiatric disorders may impact common intracellular target molecules (e.g. Akt/GSK-3 pathway, MAP kinases pathway, postsynaptic density proteins). These findings support the hypothesis that convergence at crucial steps of transductional pathways could be responsible for synergistic effects obtained in clinical practice by the co-administration of those apparently heterogeneous pharmacological compounds. Here we review the most recent evidence on the molecular crossroads in antipsychotic combined therapies with antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and benzodiazepines, as well as with antipsychotics. We first discuss clinical clues and efficacy of such combinations. Then we focus on the pharmacodynamics and on the intracellular pathways underpinning the synergistic, or concurrent, effects of each therapeutic add-on strategy, as well as we also critically appraise how pharmacological research may provide new insights on the putative molecular mechanisms underlying major psychiatric disorders.
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Goff DC. Future perspectives on the treatment of cognitive deficits and negative symptoms in schizophrenia. World Psychiatry 2013; 12:99-107. [PMID: 23737409 PMCID: PMC3683252 DOI: 10.1002/wps.20026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug discovery based on classic models for cognitive impairment and negative symptoms of schizophrenia have met with only modest success. Because cognitive impairment and negative symptoms may result from disruptions in neurodevelopment, more complex developmental models that integrate environmental and genetic risk factors are needed. In addition, it has become clear that biochemical pathways involved in schizophrenia form complex, interconnected networks. Points at which risk factors converge, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and protein kinase B (AKT), and from which processes involved in neuroplasticity diverge, are of particular interest for pharmacologic interventions. This paper reviews elements of neurodevelopmental models for cognitive deficits and negative symptoms of schizophrenia with the aim of identifying potential targets for interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald C. Goff
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, New York University School of Medicine; 140 Old Orangeburg Road; Orangeburg; NY; 10962; USA
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34
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Wu Y, Hill R, Gogos A, van den Buuse M. Sex differences and the role of estrogen in animal models of schizophrenia: Interaction with BDNF. Neuroscience 2013; 239:67-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2012] [Revised: 10/08/2012] [Accepted: 10/09/2012] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Effects of antipsychotics on dentate gyrus stem cell proliferation and survival in animal models: a critical update. Neural Plast 2012; 2012:832757. [PMID: 23150836 PMCID: PMC3488410 DOI: 10.1155/2012/832757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2012] [Revised: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 09/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder. Although a number of different hypotheses have been developed to explain its aetiopathogenesis, we are far from understanding it. There is clinical and experimental evidence indicating that neurodevelopmental factors play a major role. Disturbances in neurodevelopment might result in alterations of neuroanatomy and neurochemistry, leading to the typical symptoms observed in schizophrenia. The present paper will critically address the neurodevelopmental models underlying schizophrenia by discussing the effects of typical and atypical antipsychotics in animal models. We will specifically discuss the vitamin D deficiency model, the poly I:C model, the ketamine model, and the postnatal ventral hippocampal lesion model, all of which reflect core neurodevelopmental issues underlying schizophrenia onset.
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Differential effects of antipsychotics on hippocampal presynaptic protein expressions and recognition memory in a schizophrenia model in mice. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2012; 39:62-8. [PMID: 22640753 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2012.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2012] [Revised: 05/01/2012] [Accepted: 05/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
We compared the effects of subchronic clozapine and haloperidol administration on the expression of SNAP-25 and synaptophysin in an animal model of schizophrenia based on the glutamatergic hypothesis. Mice were first treated with a non-competitive NMDA antagonist MK-801 (0.3 mg/kg/day) or saline for 5 days, and then clozapine (5 mg/kg/day), haloperidol (1 mg/kg/day) or saline was administered for two weeks. The locomotion test, as a behavioral model of the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, was applied after MK-801/saline administration on day 6 for acute effects and after antipsychotic/saline administration on day 19 for enduring effects on mice activity. Memory function was assessed by the Novel Object Recognition (NOR) test, one day after the last day of antipsychotic/saline administration (day 20). Western Blotting technique was used to determine SNAP-25 and synaptophysin expressions in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Both antipsychotics reversed the enhanced locomotion effects of MK-801. MK-801 and haloperidol decreased recognition memory performance. On the other hand, clozapine did not compromise memory. It also did not reverse the negative effects of MK-801 on memory performance. MK-801 did not change SNAP-25 and synaptophysin expressions in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Clozapine increased hippocampal SNAP-25, decreased hippocampal synaptophysin expression, whereas frontal SNAP-25 and synaptophysin expressions remained unchanged. Haloperidol had no effects on levels of SNAP-25 and synaptophysin in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. These findings support the idea that the differential effects of clozapine might be related to its plastic effects and synaptic reorganization of the hippocampus.
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Neuropathology markers and pathways associated with molecular targets for antipsychotic drugs in postmortem brain tissues: exploration of drug targets through the Stanley Neuropathology Integrative Database. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2012; 22:683-94. [PMID: 22356822 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2012.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2011] [Revised: 01/27/2012] [Accepted: 01/28/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The atypical antipsychotics bind multiple receptor targets, including dopamine D₂ receptors (DRD2), 5-HT₂ receptors (HTR2A), α-2 adrenergic receptors (ADRA2A), and muscarinic receptors (CHRM1/4). Deficits in antipsychotic targets, their associated pathways, and the causal relationships between the various targets were explored using the Stanley Neuropathology Consortium Integrative Database (SNCID; http://sncid.stanleyresearch.org) and the Network Edge Orienting (NEO) software. There were brain region-specific deficits in the level of the antipsychotic targets, and the level of each target correlated with the mRNA level of the neurotrophic factor BDNF. While myelination was a common process correlated with both DRD2 mRNA levels and ADRA2A activity in the frontal cortex, metabolic processes were specifically correlated with DRD2 mRNA. Immune and inflammatory responses and apoptosis pathways were correlated with group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (GRM2), which are a target for the development of the next-generation antipsychotics. The NEO analysis revealed that HTR2A and GRM2 are likely to regulate BDNF levels in the hippocampus and frontal cortex, respectively, whereas DRD2 and ADRA2A activity are likely to be regulated by BDNF in the frontal cortex. BDNF may play an important role in mechanisms of action of the current antipsychotics and the next-generation antipsychotics that target GRM2. However, this data-mining approach indicates that the next-generation antipsychotics are likely to work through pathways that are distinct from those through which the current antipsychotics work. Exploratory analyses such as these may initiate future hypothesis-driven studies to reveal the mechanisms of action underlying the efficacy and side-effects of the antipsychotics.
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Nurjono M, Lee J, Chong SA. A Review of Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor as a Candidate Biomarker in Schizophrenia. CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE 2012; 10:61-70. [PMID: 23431036 PMCID: PMC3569148 DOI: 10.9758/cpn.2012.10.2.61] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2012] [Accepted: 04/26/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin known to be responsible for development, regeneration, survival and maintenance of neurons has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This review seeks to complement previous reviews on biological roles of BDNF and summarizes evidence on the involvement of BDNF in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia with an emphasis on clinical relevance. The expressions of BDNF were altered in patients with schizophrenia and were found to be correlated with psychotic symptomatology. Antipsychotics appeared to have differential effects on expression of BDNF but did not restore BDNF expression of patients with schizophrenia to normal levels. In addition, evidence suggests that BDNF is involved in the major neurotransmitter systems and is associated with disruptions in brain structure, neurodevelopmental process, cognitive function, metabolic and immune systems commonly associated with schizophrenia. Besides that, BDNF has been demonstrated to be tightly regulated with estrogen which has also been previously implicated in schizophrenia. Evidence gathered in this review confirms the relevance of BDNF in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the potential utility of BDNF as a suitable biomarker for diagnostic and prognostic purposes for disease outcome and other co-morbidities. However, further investigations are warranted to examine the specificity of BDNF in schizophrenia compared to other neurodegenerative disorders and other neuropsychiatric illness. Longitudinal prospective studies will also be of added advantage for evaluation of prognostic utility of BDNF in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milawaty Nurjono
- Research Division, Institute of Mental Health/Woodbridge Hospital, Singapore
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Chronic haloperidol-induced spatial memory deficits accompany the upregulation of D(1) and D(2) receptors in the caudate putamen of C57BL/6 mouse. Life Sci 2012; 91:322-8. [PMID: 22884478 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2012.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2011] [Revised: 07/03/2012] [Accepted: 07/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Haloperidol (HAL) is an antipsychotic drug that has high affinities to the dopamine D(2), but low affinities to D(1) receptors in the brain. Of brain regions, caudate putamen (CP) has the highest levels of the D(1) and D(2) receptors. In this study we evaluated the spatial memory of C57BL/6 mice following chronic administration of HAL and measured levels of D(1) and D(2) receptors in specific brain regions, with the hypothesis that the D(1) and D(2) receptors in CP are important players in spatial memory function of the brain. MAIN METHODS C57BL/6 mice received daily intraperitoneal injections of saline or HAL at 1.0 or 2.0mg/kg/day for 3 or 6 weeks. Two days after the last injection, spontaneous alternation of mice in a Y-maze was evaluated to measure their exploratory behavior and spatial working memory. The Morris water maze test was performed to measure their spatial learning and memory. D(1) and D(2) receptors in specific brain regions were measured by Western-blot analysis. KEY FINDINGS HAL treatment for 6 weeks decreased the spontaneous alternation of mice in Y-maze, altered the acquisition process and impaired spatial memory in Morris water maze. The same treatment increased levels of D(1) and D(2) receptors in CP and up-regulated D(2) receptors in the hippocampus, but did not change the receptors in the prefrontal cortex. SIGNIFICANCE These results suggest that the D(1) and D(2) receptors in CP are among the main targets of HAL and the receptors in CP play an important role in spatial learning and memory.
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A new synthetic varacin analogue, 8-(trifluoromethyl)-1,2,3,4,5-benzopentathiepin-6-amine hydrochloride (TC-2153), decreased hereditary catalepsy and increased the BDNF gene expression in the hippocampus in mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 221:469-78. [PMID: 22127556 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2594-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2011] [Accepted: 11/15/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The creation of effective psychotropic drugs is the key problem of psychopharmacology. Natural compounds and their synthetic analogues attract particular attention. OBJECTIVES The effect of a new synthetic analogue of varacin, 8-(trifluoromethyl)-1,2,3,4,5-benzopentathiepin-6-amine hydrochloride (TC-2153), on the behavior and the expression of the genes coding BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Bdnf) and CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein, Creb) implicated in the mechanism of psychotropic drug action as well as gp130 (Il6st) implicated in the mechanism of hereditary catalepsy in the brain of mice of ASC (Antidepressant Sensitive Catalepsy) strain was studied. RESULTS Acute per os administration of 20 or 40 mg/kg, but not 10 mg/kg of TC-2153 significantly decreased catalepsy. At the same time, in the open field test, 10 or 20 mg/kg of TC-2153 did not influence the locomotor activity, grooming or time spent in the center, while the highest dose of the drug (40 mg/kg) significantly reduced time in the center without any effect on locomotion and grooming. Chronic TC-2153 treatment (10 mg/kg for 12-16 days) did not influence the behavior in the open field but significantly attenuated catalepsy, increased Bdnf mRNA and decreased Il6st mRNA levels in the hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest: 1) TC-2153 as a new drug with potential psychotropic and anticataleptic activities and 2) the involvement of BDNF and gp130 in the molecular mechanism of TC-2153 action.
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Yoshimura R, Kishi T, Hori H, Ikenouchi-Sugita A, Umene-Nakano W, Katsuki A, Hayashi K, Iwata N, Nakamura J. No Association between the Response to the Addition of an Atypical Antipsychotic Drug to an SSRI or SNRI and the BDNF (Val66Met) Polymorphism in Refractory Major Depressive Disorder in Japanese Patients. CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE 2012; 10:49-53. [PMID: 23429762 PMCID: PMC3569156 DOI: 10.9758/cpn.2012.10.1.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2011] [Revised: 01/07/2012] [Accepted: 02/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Objective This study examined the association between the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (Val66Met) polymorphism and the response to the addition of an atypical antipsychotic drug to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) in treatment-refractory depression. Methods The study enrolled 64 patients meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV criteria for major depressive disorder who were treated with at least two courses of a single antidepressant, but who had Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) scores ≥15 points that were reduced less than 50% over at least a 4-week treatment period. There were 24 males and 40 females (age range 27-68 years; mean±SD, 48±13 years). The patients' clinical improvement was evaluated using the HAMD-17. Patients with at least a 50% decrease in the HAMD-17 score were defined as responders. Serum BDNF levels were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and the presence of the BDNF (Val66Met) polymorphism was determined using the TaqMan genotyping assay. Results No correlation was found between the BDNF (Val66Met) polymorphism and a positive response to adding an atypical antipsychotic drug. No differences were observed in the changes in the serum BDNF levels and HAMD-17 scores between Val66Val and Met-carriers. In addition, in patients who experienced remission, the atypical antipsychotic drug was discontinued after at least 3 months of treatment and the patients were then followed for 1 year; 14 of 27 patients (52%) relapsed within 1 year. Conclusion These results suggest that the BDNF (Val66Met) polymorphism is not associated with the response to the augmentation of a SSRI or SNRI with an atypical antipsychotic drug, and that the combination of an atypical antipsychotic drug and a SSRI or SNRI should be continued for 3 months or more in refractory depressed patients in the Japanese population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reiji Yoshimura
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
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Favalli G, Li J, Belmonte-de-Abreu P, Wong AHC, Daskalakis ZJ. The role of BDNF in the pathophysiology and treatment of schizophrenia. J Psychiatr Res 2012; 46:1-11. [PMID: 22030467 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2011.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2011] [Revised: 09/12/2011] [Accepted: 09/29/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been associated with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ). However, it remains unclear whether alterations in BDNF observed in patients with SCZ are a core part of disease neurobiology or a consequence of treatment. In this manuscript we review existing knowledge relating the function of BDNF to synaptic transmission and neural plasticity and the relationship between BDNF and both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for SCZ. With regards to synaptic transmission, exposure to BDNF or lack of this neurotrophin results in alteration to both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. Many authors have also evaluated the effects of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for SCZ in BDNF and despite some controversial results, it seems that medicated and non-medicated patients present with lower levels of BDNF when compared to controls. Further data suggests that typical antipsychotics may decrease BDNF expression whereas mixed results have been obtained with atypical antipsychotics. The authors found few studies reporting changes in BDNF after non-pharmacological treatments for SCZ, so the existing evidence in this area is limited. Although the study of BDNF provides some new insights into understanding of the pathophysiology and treatment of SCZ, additional work in this area is needed.
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Chen CC, Huang TL. Effects of antipsychotics on the serum BDNF levels in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2011; 189:327-30. [PMID: 21320726 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2011.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2010] [Revised: 11/04/2010] [Accepted: 01/12/2011] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is active during a critical developmental period and likely influences the neuroplasticity of schizophrenia. This study longitudinally examined the effects of atypical antipsychotics on serum BDNF levels in schizophrenic patients. Specifically, this study measured serum BDNF levels in 53 patients with paranoid schizophrenia during a relapse and again 4 weeks following the administration of antipsychotic treatment (with risperidone in 32 cases, and clozapine in 21 cases). BDNF levels remained unchanged relative to study entry after 4 weeks of atypical antipsychotic treatment. However, serum BDNF was significantly increased in the subgroup receiving risperidone compared to that receiving clozapine, albeit only in the 15 male subjects and not in the 17 females. These results suggest that gender might significantly influence the antipsychotic treatment of schizophrenia from the perspective of BDNF. These findings may also indicate that the treatment with atypical antipsychotic agents differentially affects BDNF levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Chih Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Chang gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gun University College of Medicine, Kaohsiun, Taiwan
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Brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in schizophrenia: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Mol Psychiatry 2011; 16:960-72. [PMID: 20733577 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2010.88] [Citation(s) in RCA: 341] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates the survival and growth of neurons, and influences synaptic efficiency and plasticity. Several studies report reduced peripheral (blood) levels of BDNF in schizophrenia, but findings are inconsistent. We undertook the first systematic review with meta-analysis of studies examining blood BDNF levels in schizophrenia compared with healthy controls, and examined potential effects of age, gender and medication. Included are individual studies of BDNF blood (serum or plasma) levels in schizophrenia (including schizoaffective disorder, or first episode psychosis), compared with age-matched healthy controls, obtained by electronic Medline and Embase searches, and hand searching. The decision to include or exclude studies, data extraction and quality assessment were completed by two independent reviewers. The initial search revealed 378 records, of which 342 were excluded on reading the Abstract, because they did not examine BDNF blood levels in schizophrenia compared with healthy controls. Of 36 papers screened in full, 17 were eligible for inclusion, but one was subsequently removed as an outlier. The remaining 16 studies provided moderate quality evidence of reduced blood BDNF levels in schizophrenia (Hedges g=-0.458, 95% confidence interval=-0.770 to -0.146, P<0.004, random effects model). Subgroup analyses reveal reduced BDNF in both drug-naïve and medicated patients, and in males and females with schizophrenia. Meta-regressions showed an association between reduced BDNF in schizophrenia and increasing age, but no effects of medication dosage. Overall, blood levels of BDNF are reduced in medicated and drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia; this evidence is of moderate quality, that is, precise but with considerable, unexplained heterogeneity across study results.
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Porcelli S, Drago A, Fabbri C, Serretti A. Mechanisms of antidepressant action: an integrated dopaminergic perspective. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2011; 35:1532-43. [PMID: 21402119 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2011.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2010] [Revised: 02/23/2011] [Accepted: 03/08/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms that cause and maintain the major depressive disorder (MDD) are currently unknown. Consistently, antidepressant treatments are characterized by insufficient success rates. This causes high social costs and severe personal sufferings. In the present review we analyze some of the paradigms that are used to explain MDD, particularly from the perspective of the dopaminergic (DA) system. DA has been more classically associated with psychosis and substance abuse disorders, even though a role of DA in MDD has been proposed as well and some antidepressants with DA profile exist. In the present work, we review some of the molecular mechanisms that underpin MDD from the perspective of the dopaminergic system, in the hope of unifying some of the major theories of MDD - the monoaminergic, inflammatory, epigenetics, neurotrophin and anti-apoptotic theories. Several shared components of these theories are highlighted, partially accounted by the functions of the DA system (see supplementary video).
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Affiliation(s)
- S Porcelli
- Institute of Psychiatry, University of Bologna, Viale Carlo Pepoli 5, 40123 Bologna, Italy.
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Xu H, Yang HJ, Rose GM, Li XM. Recovery of behavioral changes and compromised white matter in C57BL/6 mice exposed to cuprizone: effects of antipsychotic drugs. Front Behav Neurosci 2011; 5:31. [PMID: 21747763 PMCID: PMC3130148 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2011] [Accepted: 06/13/2011] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent animal and human studies have suggested that the cuprizone (CPZ, a copper chelator)-fed C57BL/6 mouse may be used as an animal model of schizophrenia. The goals of this study were to see the recovery processes of CPZ-induced behavioral changes and damaged white matter and to examine possible effects of antipsychotic drugs on the recovery processes. Mice were fed a CPZ-containing diet for 5 weeks then returned to normal food for 3 weeks, during which period mice were treated with different antipsychotic drugs. Various behaviors were measured at the end of CPZ-feeding phase as well as on the 14th and 21st days after CPZ withdrawal. The damage to and recovery status of white matter in the brains of mice were examined. Dietary CPZ resulted in white matter damage and behavioral abnormalities in the elevated plus-maze (EPM), social interaction (SI), and Y-maze test. EPM performance recovered to normal range within 2 weeks after CPZ withdrawal. Alterations in SI showed no recovery. Antipsychotics did not alter animals’ behavior in either of these tests during the recovery period. Altered performance in the Y-maze showed some recovery in the vehicle group; atypical antipsychotics, but not haloperidol, significantly promoted this recovery process. The recovery of damaged white matter was incomplete during the recovery period. None of the drugs significantly promoted the recovery of damaged white matter. These results suggest that CPZ-induced white matter damage and SI deficit may be resistant to the antipsychotic treatment employed in this study. They are in good accordance with the clinical observations that positive symptoms in schizophrenic patients respond well to antipsychotic drugs while social dysfunction is usually intractable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyun Xu
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL, USA
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Ertuğrul A, Özdemir H, Vural A, Dalkara T, Meltzer HY, Saka E. The influence of N-desmethylclozapine and clozapine on recognition memory and BDNF expression in hippocampus. Brain Res Bull 2011; 84:144-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2010.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2010] [Revised: 11/12/2010] [Accepted: 11/30/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Wong J, Hyde TM, Cassano HL, Deep-Soboslay A, Kleinman JE, Weickert CS. Promoter specific alterations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA in schizophrenia. Neuroscience 2010; 169:1071-84. [PMID: 20553817 PMCID: PMC3118308 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.05.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2010] [Revised: 05/04/2010] [Accepted: 05/17/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene contains multiple 5' promoters which generate alternate transcripts. Previously, we found that pan-BDNF mRNA and protein are reduced in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) from patients with schizophrenia. In this study, we determined which of the four most abundant and best characterized BDNF alternate transcripts, I-IX, II-IX, IV-IX, and VI-IX are altered in schizophrenia. Using a cohort from the NIMH, USA, we found that BDNF II-IX mRNA was significantly reduced in the DLPFC of patients with schizophrenia, and we replicated this finding using a second cohort from Sydney, Australia. Moreover, we show that BDNF protein expression [including prepro ( approximately 32 kDa), pro ( approximately 28 kDa) and mature ( approximately 14 kDa) BDNF] is reduced in the DLPFC of patients with schizophrenia. We next determined the regional specificity of the BDNF mRNA reduction by measuring BDNF transcripts in the parietal cortex and hippocampus and found no significant changes. The effect of antipsychotics on BDNF alternate transcript expression was also examined and we found no relationship between BDNF mRNA expression and antipsychotic use. As schizophrenic patients are often prescribed antidepressants which can up-regulate expression of BDNF, we investigated the relationship between antidepressant treatment and BDNF transcript expression. All four BDNF transcripts were significantly up-regulated in schizophrenic patients treated with antidepressants. Moreover, we found significant reductions in BDNF transcripts II-IX and IV-IX in the parietal cortex and VI-IX in the hippocampus of patients with schizophrenia who did not have a history of treatment with antidepressants. This suggests that down-regulation of at least one out of four major BDNF transcripts occurs in various brain regions of patients with schizophrenia, particularly in the DLPFC which appears to have the most robust BDNF deficit in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Wong
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Randwick NSW 2031, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Thomas M. Hyde
- Section on Neuropathology of the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, GCAP, IRP, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hope L. Cassano
- Section on Neuropathology of the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, GCAP, IRP, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Amy Deep-Soboslay
- Section on Neuropathology of the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, GCAP, IRP, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Joel E. Kleinman
- Section on Neuropathology of the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, GCAP, IRP, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Cynthia Shannon Weickert
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Randwick NSW 2031, Australia
- Section on Neuropathology of the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, GCAP, IRP, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia
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The effects of clozapine on quinpirole-induced non-regulatory drinking and prepulse inhibition disruption in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2010; 212:105-15. [PMID: 20623106 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-010-1937-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2010] [Accepted: 06/23/2010] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The biological underpinnings of schizophrenic polydipsia are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES This study is aimed at fulfilling the requisites of an experimental model of this syndrome through the quinpirole (QNP) induction of non-regulatory drinking in rats. METHODS In a first experiment, clozapine (10 and 40 mg/kg p.o.) was substituted for haloperidol during the last 5 days of 10 days QNP (0.5 mg/kg i.p.) administration and water intake measured at 5 h. In a second experiment, animals treated with QNP alone or in combination with clozapine were assessed for water intake and prepulse inhibition (PPI). Expression of genes coding for the dopaminergic D2 receptor, as well as for the early genes BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and c-Fos in prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum was also evaluated. RESULTS Clozapine prevented QNP-induced drinking at 10 and 40 mg/kg, but only at 40 mg/kg when it was substituted for haloperidol. In the second experiment, QNP-treated rats showed both non-regulatory drinking and PPI disruption. Both these effects were prevented by clozapine 40 mg/kg. QNP-reduced BDNF expression in the hippocampus and increased c-Fos in the prefrontal cortex. This effect was prevented by clozapine. Given by itself, clozapine reduced the expression of both D2 receptors and BDNF in the prefrontal cortex and striatum. CONCLUSIONS The present study lends further support to the hypothesis that non-regulatory drinking induced by QNP in rats is a robust and reliable pharmacological effect that might model psychotic polydipsia also in its sensitivity to clozapine.
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Souza RP, Romano-Silva MA, Lieberman JA, Meltzer HY, MacNeil LT, Culotti JG, Kennedy JL, Wong AHC. Genetic association of the GDNF alpha-receptor genes with schizophrenia and clozapine response. J Psychiatr Res 2010; 44:700-6. [PMID: 20116071 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2009] [Revised: 12/30/2009] [Accepted: 01/06/2010] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
GDNF (glial-cell-line derived neurotrophic factor) is a potent neurotrophic factor for dopaminergic neurons. Neuropsychiatric diseases and their treatments are associated with alterations in the levels of both GDNF and its receptor family (GDNF family receptor alpha or GFRA). GFRA1, GFRA2 and GFRA3 are located in chromosomal regions with suggestive linkage to schizophrenia. In this study we analyzed polymorphisms located in all four known GFRA genes and examined association with schizophrenia and clozapine response. We examined SNPs across the genes GFRA1-4 in 219 matched case-control subjects, 85 small nuclear families and 140 schizophrenia patients taking clozapine for 6months. We observed that GFRA3 rs11242417 and GFRA1 rs11197557 variants were significantly associated with schizophrenia after combining results from both schizophrenia samples. Furthermore, we found an overtransmission of the G-C GFRA1 rs7920934-rs730357 haplotype to subjects with schizophrenia and association of A-T-G-G GFRA3 rs10036665-rs10952-rs11242417-rs7726580 with schizophrenia in the case-control sample. On the other hand, GFRA2 variants were not associated with schizophrenia diagnosis but subjects carrying T-G-G rs1128397-rs13250096-rs4567028 haplotype were more likely to respond to clozapine treatment. The statistical significance of results survived permutation testing but not Bonferroni correction. We also found nominally-significant evidence for interactions between GFRA1, 2 and 3 associated with schizophrenia and clozapine response, consistent with the locations of these three genes within linkage regions for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renan P Souza
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
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