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Park J, Shimbo H, Tamura S, Tomoda T, Hikida T, Okado H, Hirai S. Impact of feeding age on cognitive impairment in mice with Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1 (Disc1) mutation under a high sucrose diet. Behav Brain Res 2025; 476:115291. [PMID: 39401692 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2024] [Revised: 10/10/2024] [Accepted: 10/11/2024] [Indexed: 10/17/2024]
Abstract
A combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors contributes to the development of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Previous studies using mouse models suggested that prolonged high sucrose intake during puberty can serve as an environmental risk factor for the onset of psychiatric disorders. However, the impact of both the duration and timing of high sucrose consumption during different developmental stages on pathogenesis remains poorly defined. We therefore investigated the effects of a long-term high sucrose diet on cognitive deficit, a core symptom of psychiatric disorders, using Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 locus-impairment heterozygous mutant (Disc1het) mice as a model for genetic predisposition. First, Disc1het mice and their littermate control (WT) were fed either a high sucrose diet or a control starch diet for nine weeks starting at weaning (postnatal day 24), and tested for cognitive performance in the object location test (OLT) and the novel object recognition test (NORT) (assessing spatial and recognition memory, respectively). Only Disc1het mice on a high sucrose diet displayed deficits in OLT (p < 0.0001), demonstrating impaired hippocampus-dependent spatial memory. This behavioral abnormality was accompanied by a decreased proportion of the high parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (High-PV neurons) in the ventral hippocampus, a cell type that regulates neural activity and a variety of learning and memory processes such as spatial and working memory. We further explored the critical developmental period for high sucrose intake to cause cognitive deficits in adulthood by comparing specific feeding periods during puberty (P24-P65) and post-puberty (P65-P90). Compared to those on a standard chow diet, high sucrose intake caused deficits in spatial memory in both WT and Disc1het mice, with more pronounced effects in Disc1het mice. In particular, Disc1het mice on a sucrose diet during adolescence showed more pronounced cognitive deficit than those fed after adolescence. Our results suggest that adolescence is particularly vulnerable to nutritional environmental risk factors, and that high sucrose consumption may cause hippocampus-dependent memory deficits via decreased High-PV interneuron function when combined with Disc1-related genetic predisposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonghyuk Park
- Metabolic Regulation Group, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan
| | - Hiroko Shimbo
- Metabolic Regulation Group, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan; Clinical Research Institute, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center, Japan
| | - Shoko Tamura
- Metabolic Regulation Group, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan
| | - Toshifumi Tomoda
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Takatoshi Hikida
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Japan
| | - Haruo Okado
- Metabolic Regulation Group, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan
| | - Shinobu Hirai
- Metabolic Regulation Group, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan.
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2
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Basavaraju R, France J, Sigmon HC, Girgis RR, Brucato G, Lieberman JA, Small SA, Provenzano FA. Increased parietal and occipital lobe gyrification predicts conversion to syndromal psychosis in a clinical high-risk cohort. Schizophr Res 2023; 255:246-255. [PMID: 37043842 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.03.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Local gyrification index (lGI), indicative of the degree of cortical folding is a proxy marker for early cortical neurodevelopmental abnormalities. We studied the difference in lGI between those who do and do not convert to psychosis (non-converters) in a clinical high-risk (CHR) cohort, and whether lGI predicts conversion to psychosis. METHODS Seventy-two CHR participants with attenuated positive symptom syndrome were followed up for two years. The difference in baseline whole-brain lGI was examined on the T1-weighted MRIs between, i)CHR (N = 72) and healthy controls (N = 19), ii)Converters to psychosis (N = 24) and non-converters (N = 48), adjusting for age and sex, on Freesurfer-6.0. The significant cluster obtained in the converters versus non-converters comparison was registered as a region of interest to individual images of all 72 participants and lGI values were extracted from this region. A cox proportional hazards model was applied with these values to study whether lGI predicts conversion to psychosis. RESULTS lGI was not different between CHR and healthy controls. lGI was increased in converters in the right-sided inferior parietal and lateral occipital areas (corrected cluster-wise-p-value = 0.009, cohen's f = 0.42) compared to non-converters, which significantly increased the risk of onset of psychosis (p = 0.029, hazard ratio = 1.471). CONCLUSIONS Increased gyrification in the right-sided inferior parietal and lateral occipital area differentiates converters to psychosis in CHR, significantly increasing the risk of conversion to psychosis. This measure may reflect underlying traits in parts of the brain that develop earliest in-utero (parietal and occipital), conferring a heightened vulnerability to convert to syndromal psychosis subsequently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakshathi Basavaraju
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, USA
| | - Jeanelle France
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, USA
| | - Hannah C Sigmon
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, USA
| | - Ragy R Girgis
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, USA
| | - Gary Brucato
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Lieberman
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, USA
| | - Scott A Small
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, USA
| | - Frank A Provenzano
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, USA.
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3
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Shahcheraghi SH, Ayatollahi J, Lotfi M, Aljabali AAA, Al-Zoubi MS, Panda PK, Mishra V, Satija S, Charbe NB, Serrano-Aroca Á, Bahar B, Takayama K, Goyal R, Bhatia A, Almutary AG, Alnuqaydan AM, Mishra Y, Negi P, Courtney A, McCarron PA, Bakshi HA, Tambuwala MM. Gene Therapy for Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Potential Targets and Tools. CNS & NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS DRUG TARGETS 2023; 22:51-65. [PMID: 35249508 DOI: 10.2174/1871527321666220304153719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Neuropsychiatric disorders that affect the central nervous system cause considerable pressures on the health care system and have a substantial economic burden on modern societies. The present treatments based on available drugs are mostly ineffective and often costly. The molecular process of neuropsychiatric disorders is closely connected to modifying the genetic structures inherited or caused by damage, toxic chemicals, and some current diseases. Gene therapy is presently an experimental concept for neurological disorders. Clinical applications endeavor to alleviate the symptoms, reduce disease progression, and repair defective genes. Implementing gene therapy in inherited and acquired neurological illnesses entails the integration of several scientific disciplines, including virology, neurology, neurosurgery, molecular genetics, and immunology. Genetic manipulation has the power to minimize or cure illness by inducing genetic alterations at endogenous loci. Gene therapy that involves treating the disease by deleting, silencing, or editing defective genes and delivering genetic material to produce therapeutic molecules has excellent potential as a novel approach for treating neuropsychiatric disorders. With the recent advances in gene selection and vector design quality in targeted treatments, gene therapy could be an effective approach. This review article will investigate and report the newest and the most critical molecules and factors in neuropsychiatric disorder gene therapy. Different genome editing techniques available will be evaluated, and the review will highlight preclinical research of genome editing for neuropsychiatric disorders while also evaluating current limitations and potential strategies to overcome genome editing advancements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed H Shahcheraghi
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
- Infectious Diseases Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi Hospital, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Jamshid Ayatollahi
- Infectious Diseases Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi Hospital, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Marzieh Lotfi
- Abortion Research Center, Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Alaa A A Aljabali
- Department of Pharmaceutics & Pharmaceutical Technology, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Mazhar S Al-Zoubi
- Yarmouk University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Pritam K Panda
- Condensed Matter Theory Group, Materials Theory Division, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Vijay Mishra
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
| | - Saurabh Satija
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
| | - Nitin B Charbe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
| | - Ángel Serrano-Aroca
- Biomaterials and Bioengineering Lab, Translational Research Centre San Alberto Magno, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, C/Guillem de Castro 94, 46001 Valencia, Spain
| | - Bojlul Bahar
- Nutrition Sciences and Applied Food Safety Studies, Research Centre for Global Development, School of Sport & Health Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE, UK
| | - Kazuo Takayama
- Center for IPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8397, Japan
| | - Rohit Goyal
- Neuropharmacology Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shoolini University, Post Box No. 9, Solan, Himachal Pradesh 173212, India
| | - Amit Bhatia
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Punjab 151001, India
| | - Abdulmajeed G Almutary
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah M Alnuqaydan
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yachana Mishra
- Shri Shakti Degree College, Sankhahari, Ghatampur 209206, India
| | - Poonam Negi
- Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan 173 212, India
| | - Aaron Courtney
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, County Londonderry, BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Paul A McCarron
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, County Londonderry, BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Hamid A Bakshi
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, County Londonderry, BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Murtaza M Tambuwala
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, County Londonderry, BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
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4
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Liu Y, Ouyang P, Zheng Y, Mi L, Zhao J, Ning Y, Guo W. A Selective Review of the Excitatory-Inhibitory Imbalance in Schizophrenia: Underlying Biology, Genetics, Microcircuits, and Symptoms. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:664535. [PMID: 34746116 PMCID: PMC8567014 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.664535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder characterized by specific positive and negative primary symptoms, social behavior disturbances and cognitive deficits (e.g., impairment in working memory and cognitive flexibility). Mounting evidence suggests that altered excitability and inhibition at the molecular, cellular, circuit and network level might be the basis for the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. In the past decades, human and animal studies have identified that glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmissions are critically involved in several cognitive progresses, including learning and memory. The purpose of this review is, by analyzing emerging findings relating to the balance of excitatory and inhibitory, ranging from animal models of schizophrenia to clinical studies in patients with early onset, first-episode or chronic schizophrenia, to discuss how the excitatory-inhibitory imbalance may relate to the pathophysiology of disease phenotypes such as cognitive deficits and negative symptoms, and highlight directions for appropriate therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Liu
- National Clinical Research Center on Mental Disorders and Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Pan Ouyang
- National Clinical Research Center on Mental Disorders and Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yingjun Zheng
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lin Mi
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jingping Zhao
- National Clinical Research Center on Mental Disorders and Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yuping Ning
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,The First School of Clinical Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenbin Guo
- National Clinical Research Center on Mental Disorders and Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
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5
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Jia J, Liu X, Ma L, Xu Y, Ren Y. A preliminary analysis of LncRNA biomarkers for schizophrenia. Epigenomics 2021; 13:1443-1458. [PMID: 34528440 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2021-0223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with schizophrenia (SZ) and the relationships among their expression, antipsychotic efficacy and SZ severity. Method: The diagnostic and predictive value of nine lncRNAs, Gomafu, DISC2, PSZA11, AK096174, AK123097, DB340248, uc011dma.1, ENST00000509804-1 and ENST00000509804-2, was investigated in 48 patients with SZ before and after antipsychotic treatment. Results: Gomafu, AK096174, AK123097, DB340248, uc011dma.1, ENST00000509804-1 and ENST00000509804-2 were individually and collectively associated with, and predictive of, SZ pathogenesis. Moreover, increased expression of plasma AK123097, uc011dma.1 and ENST00000509804-1 levels was reversed after 12 weeks of antipsychotic treatment, which was associated with SZ severity. Conclusion: Seven lncRNAs serve as novel biomarkers for SZ diagnosis and prognosis and three lncRNAs are potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Jia
- Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030032, China.,Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Xiaofei Liu
- Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030032, China.,Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Lina Ma
- Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030032, China.,Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Yong Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, China
| | - Yan Ren
- Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030032, China.,Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
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6
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Roberts RC. Mitochondrial dysfunction in schizophrenia: With a focus on postmortem studies. Mitochondrion 2021; 56:91-101. [PMID: 33221354 PMCID: PMC7810242 DOI: 10.1016/j.mito.2020.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Among the many brain abnormalities in schizophrenia are those related to mitochondrial functions such as oxidative stress, energy metabolism and synaptic efficacy. The aim of this paper is to provide a brief review of mitochondrial structure and function and then to present abnormalities in mitochondria in postmortem brain in schizophrenia with a focus on anatomy. Deficits in expression of various mitochondrial genes have been found in multiple schizophrenia cohorts. Decreased activity of complexes I and IV are prominent as well as abnormal levels of individual subunits that comprise the complexes of the electron transport chain. Ultrastructural studies have shown layer, input and cell specific decreases in mitochondria. In cortex, there are fewer mitochondria in axon terminals, neuronal somata of pyramidal neurons and oligodendrocytes in both grey and white matter. In the caudate and putamen mitochondrial number is linked with symptoms and symptom severity. While there is a decrease in the number of mitochondria in astrocytes, mitochondria are smaller in oligodendrocytes. In the nucleus accumbens and substantia nigra, mitochondria are similar in density, size and structural integrity in schizophrenia compared to controls. Mitochondrial production of ATP and calcium buffering are essential in maintaining synaptic strength and abnormalities in these processes could lead to decreased metabolism and defective synaptic activity. Abnormalities in mitochondria in oligodendrocytes might contribute to myelin pathology and underlie dysconnectivity in the brain. In schizophrenia, mitochondria are affected differentially depending on the brain region, cell type in which they reside, subcellular location, treatment status, treatment response and predominant symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalinda C Roberts
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States.
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7
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Amorim IS, Lach G, Gkogkas CG. The Role of the Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 4E (eIF4E) in Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Front Genet 2018; 9:561. [PMID: 30532767 PMCID: PMC6265315 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells is a complex, multi-step and tightly regulated process. Translation initiation, the rate limiting step in protein synthesis, is dependent on the activity of eukaryotic translation Initiation Factor 4E (eIF4E). eIF4E is the cap-binding protein which, in synergy with proteins such as the helicase eIF4A and the scaffolding protein eIF4G, binds to mRNA, allowing the recruitment of ribosomes and translation initiation. The function of eIF4E is tightly regulated in cells under normal physiological conditions and can be controlled by post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation, and by the binding of inhibitory proteins, including eIF4E binding proteins (4E-BPs) and CYFIP1. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of eIF4E in normal or aberrant function of the nervous system. In this mini-review, we will highlight the role of eIF4E function and regulation in the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês S Amorim
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Gilliard Lach
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Christos G Gkogkas
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,The Patrick Wild Centre, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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8
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Li N, Cui L, Song G, Guo L, Gu H, Cao H, Li GD, Zhou Y. Adolescent Isolation Interacts With DISC1 Point Mutation to Impair Adult Social Memory and Synaptic Functions in the Hippocampus. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:238. [PMID: 30116177 PMCID: PMC6082952 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a strong candidate susceptibility gene for a spectrum of neuropsychiatric diseases including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, all of which are thought to result from interactions between gene mutations and environmental risk factors such as influenza, trauma and stress. Adolescence is a key period susceptible to stress and stress-related mental illnesses. In a previous study, we found that although DISC1 L100P point mutation mice shows object recognition deficits, their sociability and social memory are relatively normal. Therefore, in this article, we investigated whether the interaction between adolescent stress and DISC1 L100P point mutation affects adult social memory, and we explored the underlying mechanisms. We found that adolescent stress (isolation from 5 weeks to 8 weeks of age) specifically impaired social memory of adult DISC1 L100P mice but not that of WT littermates, which could be rescued by administration of atypical antipsychotic drug clozapine. On the other hand, it did not induce anxiety or depression in adult mice. Adolescent isolation exacerbated adult neurogenesis deficits in the hippocampus of DISC1 L100P mice, while it had no effect on WT mice. In addition, we found that adolescent isolation led to long lasting changes in synaptic transmission and plasticity in the hippocampal circuits, some of which are specific for DISC1 L100P mice. In summary, we identified here the specific interaction between genetic mutation (DISC1 L100P) and adolescence social stress that damages synaptic function and social memory in adult hippocampal circuits. HighlightsAdolescent isolation (from 5 weeks to 8 weeks of age) impairs adult social memory when combined with DISC1 L100P point mutation. Adolescent isolation exacerbates adult neurogenesis deficit in the hippocampus of L100P mice but has no similar effect on WT mice. Adolescent isolation causes long lasting changes in synaptic transmission and plasticity of the hippocampal network in DISC1 L100P mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Li
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Lin Cui
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.,Department of Pathology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Affiliated to Medical College of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Ge Song
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Li Guo
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Huating Gu
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Haisheng Cao
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Guo-Dong Li
- Department of Surgery, Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Van Nuys, CA, United States
| | - Yu Zhou
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.,Institute of Brain Sciences and Related Disorders, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
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9
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Tripathi A, Kar SK, Shukla R. Cognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia: Understanding the Biological Correlates and Remediation Strategies. CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN COLLEGE OF NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY 2018; 16:7-17. [PMID: 29397662 PMCID: PMC5810454 DOI: 10.9758/cpn.2018.16.1.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Revised: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive deficits are one of the core symptoms of schizophrenia that evolve during the course of schizophrenia, after being originated even before the onset of illness. Existing pharmacological and biological treatment modalities fall short to meet the needs to improve the cognitive symptoms; hence, various cognitive remediation strategies have been adopted to address these deficits. Research evidences suggest that cognitive remediation measures improve the functioning, limit disability bettering the quality of life. The functional outcomes of cognitive remediation in schizophrenia are resultant of neurobiological changes in specific brain areas. Recent years witnessed significant innovations in cognitive remediation strategies in schizophrenia. This comprehensive review highlights the biological correlates of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and the remedial measures with evidence base.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adarsh Tripathi
- Department of Psychiatry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
| | - Sujita Kumar Kar
- Department of Psychiatry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
| | - Rashmi Shukla
- Department of Psychiatry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
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10
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Cui L, Sun W, Yu M, Li N, Guo L, Gu H, Zhou Y. Disrupted-in-schizophrenia1 (DISC1) L100P mutation alters synaptic transmission and plasticity in the hippocampus and causes recognition memory deficits. Mol Brain 2016; 9:89. [PMID: 27729083 PMCID: PMC5059944 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-016-0270-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1(DISC1) is a promising candidate susceptibility gene for a spectrum of psychiatric illnesses that share cognitive impairments in common, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. Here we report that DISC1 L100P homozygous mutant shows normal anxiety- and depression-like behavior, but impaired object recognition which is prevented by administration of atypical antipsychotic drug clozapine. Ca2+ image analysis reveals suppression of glutamate-evoked elevation of cytoplasmic [Ca2+] in L100P hippocampal slices. L100P mutant slices exhibit decreased excitatory synaptic transmission (sEPSCs and mEPSCs) in dentate gyrus (DG) and impaired long-term potentiation in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. L100P mutation does not alter proteins expression of the excitatory synaptic markers, PSD95 and synapsin-1; neither does it changes dendrites morphology of primary cultured hippocampal neurons. Our findings suggest that the existence of abnormal synaptic transmission and plasticity in hippocampal network may disrupt declarative information processing and contribute to recognition deficits in DISC1 L100P mutant mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Cui
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Qingdao University, 403 Boya Bldg., 308 Ningxia Rd., Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, China.,Department of Pathology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Affiliated to Medical College of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, China
| | - Wei Sun
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Qingdao University, 403 Boya Bldg., 308 Ningxia Rd., Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, China.,Departments of Medicine, Shandong Liming Polytechnic Vocational College, Jinan, Shandong, 250116, China
| | - Ming Yu
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Qingdao University, 403 Boya Bldg., 308 Ningxia Rd., Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, China
| | - Nan Li
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Qingdao University, 403 Boya Bldg., 308 Ningxia Rd., Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, China
| | - Li Guo
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Qingdao University, 403 Boya Bldg., 308 Ningxia Rd., Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, China
| | - Huating Gu
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Qingdao University, 403 Boya Bldg., 308 Ningxia Rd., Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, China
| | - Yu Zhou
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Qingdao University, 403 Boya Bldg., 308 Ningxia Rd., Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, China.
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Borkowska M, Millar JK, Price DJ. Altered Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 Function Affects the Development of Cortical Parvalbumin Interneurons by an Indirect Mechanism. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0156082. [PMID: 27244370 PMCID: PMC4886955 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) gene has been linked to schizophrenia and related major mental illness. Mouse Disc1 has been implicated in brain development, mainly in the proliferation, differentiation, lamination, neurite outgrowth and synapse formation and maintenance of cortical excitatory neurons. Here, the effects of two loss-of-function point mutations in the mouse Disc1 sequence (Q31L and L100P) on cortical inhibitory interneurons were investigated. None of the mutations affected the overall number of interneurons. However, the 100P, but not the 31L, mutation resulted in a significant decrease in the numbers of interneurons expressing parvalbumin mRNA and protein across the sensory cortex. To investigate role of Disc1 in regulation of parvalbumin expression, mouse wild-type Disc-1 or the 100P mutant form were electroporated in utero into cortical excitatory neurons. Overexpression of wild-type Disc1 in these cells caused increased densities of parvalbumin-expressing interneurons in the electroporated area and in areas connected with it, whereas expression of Disc1-100P did not. We conclude that the 100P mutation prevents expression of parvalbumin by a normally sized cohort of interneurons and that altering Disc1 function in cortical excitatory neurons indirectly affects parvalbumin expression by cortical interneurons, perhaps as a result of altered functional input from the excitatory neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malgorzata Borkowska
- University of Edinburgh Centre for Integrative Physiology, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - J. Kirsty Millar
- University of Edinburgh Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, United Kingdom
| | - David J. Price
- University of Edinburgh Centre for Integrative Physiology, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, United Kingdom
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Choy FC, Klarić TS, Koblar SA, Lewis MD. miR-744 and miR-224 Downregulate Npas4 and Affect Lineage Differentiation Potential and Neurite Development During Neural Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 54:3528-3541. [PMID: 27189618 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-016-9912-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (Npas4) is a brain-specific transcription factor whose expression is enriched in neurogenic regions of the brain. In addition, it was demonstrated that Npas4 expression is dynamic and highly regulated during neural differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). While these findings implicate a role for Npas4 in neurogenesis, the underlying mechanisms of regulation remain unknown. Given that growing evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in both embryonic and adult neurogenesis, we reasoned that miRNAs are good candidates for regulating Npas4 expression during neural differentiation of ESCs. In this study, we utilized the small RNA sequencing method to profile miRNA expression during neural differentiation of mouse ESCs. Two differentially expressed miRNAs were identified to be able to significantly reduce reporter gene activity by targeting the Npas4 3'UTR, namely miR-744 and miR-224. More importantly, ectopic expression of these miRNAs during neural differentiation resulted in downregulation of endogenous Npas4 expression. Subsequent functional analysis revealed that overexpression of either miR-744 or miR-224 delayed early neural differentiation, reduced GABAergic neuron production and inhibited neurite outgrowth. Collectively, our findings indicate that Npas4 not only functions at the early stages of neural differentiation but may also, in part, contribute to neuronal subtype specification and neurite development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fong Chan Choy
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Thomas S Klarić
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Simon A Koblar
- School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Martin D Lewis
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia. .,South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
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13
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Disturbance of oligodendrocyte function plays a key role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:492367. [PMID: 25705664 PMCID: PMC4332974 DOI: 10.1155/2015/492367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2014] [Revised: 11/14/2014] [Accepted: 11/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia (SZ) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are thought to be multifactorial diseases related to both genetic and environmental factors. However, the genes responsible and the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of SZ and MDD remain unclear. We previously reported that abnormalities of disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) and DISC1 binding zinc finger (DBZ) might cause major psychiatric disorders such as SZ. Interestingly, both DISC and DBZ have been further detected in oligodendrocytes and implicated in regulating oligodendrocyte differentiation. DISC1 negatively regulates the differentiation of oligodendrocytes, whereas DBZ plays a positive regulatory role in oligodendrocyte differentiation. We have reported that repeated stressful events, one of the major risk factors of MDD, can induce sustained upregulation of plasma corticosterone levels and serum/glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1 (Sgk1) mRNA expression in oligodendrocytes. Repeated stressful events can also activate the SGK1 cascade and cause excess arborization of oligodendrocyte processes, which is thought to be related to depressive-like symptoms. In this review, we discuss the expression of DISC1, DBZ, and SGK1 in oligodendrocytes, their roles in the regulation of oligodendrocyte function, possible interactions of DISC1 and DBZ in relation to SZ, and the activation of the SGK1 signaling cascade in relation to MDD.
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14
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Naoi M, Riederer P, Maruyama W. Modulation of monoamine oxidase (MAO) expression in neuropsychiatric disorders: genetic and environmental factors involved in type A MAO expression. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2015; 123:91-106. [PMID: 25604428 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-014-1362-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Monoamine oxidase types A and B (MAO-A, MAO-B) regulate the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in the brain, and their dysfunction may be involved in the pathogenesis and influence the clinical phenotypes of neuropsychiatric disorders. Reversible MAO-A inhibitors, such as moclobemide and befloxatone, are currently employed in the treatment of emotional disorders by inhibiting the enzymatic degradation of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine in the central nervous system (CNS). It has been suggested that the irreversible MAO-B inhibitors selegiline and rasagiline exert a neuroprotective effect in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. This effect, however, is not related to their inhibition of MAO activity; in animal and cellular models, selegiline and rasagiline protect neuronal cells through their anti-apoptotic activity and induction of pro-survival genes. There is increasing evidence that MAO-A activity, but not that of MAO-B, is implicated in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders, but also in gene induction by MAO-B inhibitors; on the other hand, selegiline and rasagiline increase MAO-A mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity levels. Taken together, these results suggest that each MAO subtype exerts effects that modulate the expression and activity of the other isoenzyme. The roles of MAO-A and -B in the CNS should therefore be re-evaluated with respect to the "type-specificity" of their inhibitors, which may not be unconditional during chronic treatment. Mao-a expression, in particular, may be implicated in pathogenesis and phenotypes in neuropsychiatric disorders. MAO-A expression is modified by mao polymorphisms affecting its transcriptional efficiency, as well as by mutations and polymorphism of parkin, Sirt1, FOXO, microRNA, presenilin-1, and other regulatory proteins. In addition, childhood maltreatment has been shown to have an impact upon adolescent social behavior in children with mao-a polymorphisms of low transcriptional activity. Low MAO-A activity may increase the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine, resulting in disturbed neurotransmitter system development and behavior. This review discusses genetic and environmental factors involved in the regulation of MAO-A expression, in the contexts of neuropsychiatric function and of the regulation of neuronal survival and death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Naoi
- Department of Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Psychological and Physical Science, Aichi Gakuin University, 12 Araike, Iwasaki-cho, Nisshin, Aichi, 470-0195, Japan.
| | - Peter Riederer
- Clinical Neurochemistry, National Parkinson's Foundation Centre of Excellence Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Wakako Maruyama
- Department of Cognitive Brain Science, National Research Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi, Japan
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15
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Kido M, Nakamura Y, Nemoto K, Takahashi T, Aleksic B, Furuichi A, Nakamura Y, Ikeda M, Noguchi K, Kaibuchi K, Iwata N, Ozaki N, Suzuki M. The polymorphism of YWHAE, a gene encoding 14-3-3epsilon, and brain morphology in schizophrenia: a voxel-based morphometric study. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103571. [PMID: 25105667 PMCID: PMC4126687 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2013] [Accepted: 07/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background YWHAE is a possible susceptibility gene for schizophrenia that encodes 14-3-3epsilon, a Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1)-interacting molecule, but the effect of variation in its genotype on brain morphology remains largely unknown. Methods In this voxel-based morphometric magnetic resonance imaging study, we conducted whole-brain analyses regarding the effects of YWHAE single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs28365859, rs11655548, and rs9393) and DISC1 SNP (rs821616) on gray matter volume in a Japanese sample of 72 schizophrenia patients and 86 healthy controls. On the basis of a previous animal study, we also examined the effect of rs28365859 genotype specifically on hippocampal volume. Results Whole-brain analyses showed no significant genotype effect of these SNPs on gray matter volume in all subjects, but we found significant genotype-by-diagnosis interaction for rs28365859 in the left insula and right putamen. The protective C allele carriers of rs28365859 had a significantly larger left insula than the G homozygotes only for schizophrenia patients, while the controls with G allele homozygosity had a significantly larger right putamen than the C allele carriers. The C allele carriers had a larger right hippocampus than the G allele homozygotes in schizophrenia patients, but not in healthy controls. No significant interaction was found between rs28365859 and DISC1 SNP on gray matter volume. Conclusions These different effects of the YWHAE (rs28365859) genotype on brain morphology in schizophrenia and healthy controls suggest that variation in its genotype might be, at least partly, related to the abnormal neurodevelopment, including in the limbic regions, reported in schizophrenia. Our results also suggest its specific role among YWHAE SNPs in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikio Kido
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Yukako Nakamura
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kiyotaka Nemoto
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Division of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Takahashi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Branko Aleksic
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Atsushi Furuichi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Yumiko Nakamura
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Masashi Ikeda
- Department of Psychiatry, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kyo Noguchi
- Department of Radiology, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Kozo Kaibuchi
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nakao Iwata
- Department of Psychiatry, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Norio Ozaki
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Michio Suzuki
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
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16
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Hattori T, Shimizu S, Koyama Y, Emoto H, Matsumoto Y, Kumamoto N, Yamada K, Takamura H, Matsuzaki S, Katayama T, Tohyama M, Ito A. DISC1 (disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1) regulates differentiation of oligodendrocytes. PLoS One 2014; 9:e88506. [PMID: 24516667 PMCID: PMC3917910 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2013] [Accepted: 01/08/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a gene disrupted by a translocation, t(1;11) (q42.1;q14.3), that segregates with major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, recurrent major depression and bipolar affective disorder, in a Scottish family. Here we report that mammalian DISC1 endogenously expressed in oligodendroglial lineage cells negatively regulates differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells into oligodendrocytes. DISC1 expression was detected in oligodendrocytes of the mouse corpus callosum at P14 and P70. DISC1 mRNA was expressed in primary cultured rat cortical oligodendrocyte precursor cells and decreased when oligodendrocyte precursor cells were induced to differentiate by PDGF deprivation. Immunocytochemical analysis showed that overexpressed DISC1 was localized in the cell bodies and processes of oligodendrocyte precursor cells and oligodendrocytes. We show that expression of the myelin related markers, CNPase and MBP, as well as the number of cells with a matured oligodendrocyte morphology, were decreased following full length DISC1 overexpression. Conversely, both expression of CNPase and the number of oligodendrocytes with a mature morphology were increased following knockdown of endogenous DISC1 by RNA interference. Overexpression of a truncated form of DISC1 also resulted in an increase in expression of myelin related proteins and the number of mature oligodendrocytes, potentially acting via a dominant negative mechanism. We also identified involvement of Sox10 and Nkx2.2 in the DISC1 regulatory pathway of oligodendrocyte differentiation, both well-known transcription factors involved in the regulation of myelin genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Hattori
- Department of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Shoko Shimizu
- Division of Molecular Brain Science, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kinki University, Sayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshihisa Koyama
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hisayo Emoto
- Pharmacology Research Laboratories, Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co, Ltd, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuji Matsumoto
- Pharmacology Research Laboratories, Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co, Ltd, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Natsuko Kumamoto
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kohei Yamada
- Department of Child Development & Molecular Brain Science, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University and Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hironori Takamura
- Department of Child Development & Molecular Brain Science, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University and Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Matsuzaki
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Child Development & Molecular Brain Science, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University and Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Taiichi Katayama
- Department of Child Development & Molecular Brain Science, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University and Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masaya Tohyama
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Child Development & Molecular Brain Science, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University and Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Division of Molecular Brain Science, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kinki University, Sayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Akira Ito
- Department of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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McCullumsmith RE, Hammond JH, Shan D, Meador-Woodruff JH. Postmortem brain: an underutilized substrate for studying severe mental illness. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:65-87. [PMID: 24091486 PMCID: PMC3857666 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2013] [Revised: 07/30/2013] [Accepted: 08/02/2013] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
We propose that postmortem tissue is an underutilized substrate that may be used to translate genetic and/or preclinical studies, particularly for neuropsychiatric illnesses with complex etiologies. Postmortem brain tissues from subjects with schizophrenia have been extensively studied, and thus serve as a useful vehicle for illustrating the challenges associated with this biological substrate. Schizophrenia is likely caused by a combination of genetic risk and environmental factors that combine to create a disease phenotype that is typically not apparent until late adolescence. The complexity of this illness creates challenges for hypothesis testing aimed at understanding the pathophysiology of the illness, as postmortem brain tissues collected from individuals with schizophrenia reflect neuroplastic changes from a lifetime of severe mental illness, as well as treatment with antipsychotic medications. While there are significant challenges with studying postmortem brain, such as the postmortem interval, it confers a translational element that is difficult to recapitulate in animal models. On the other hand, data derived from animal models typically provide specific mechanistic and behavioral measures that cannot be generated using human subjects. Convergence of these two approaches has led to important insights for understanding molecular deficits and their causes in this illness. In this review, we discuss the problem of schizophrenia, review the common challenges related to postmortem studies, discuss the application of biochemical approaches to this substrate, and present examples of postmortem schizophrenia studies that illustrate the role of the postmortem approach for generating important new leads for understanding the pathophysiology of severe mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John H Hammond
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Dan Shan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - James H Meador-Woodruff
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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18
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Gururajan A, van den Buuse M. Is the mTOR-signalling cascade disrupted in Schizophrenia? J Neurochem 2013; 129:377-87. [PMID: 24266366 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.12622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2013] [Revised: 11/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/10/2013] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling cascade is involved in the intracellular regulation of protein synthesis, specifically for proteins involved in controlling neuronal morphology and facilitating synaptic plasticity. Research has revealed that the activity of the mTOR cascade is influenced by several extracellular and environmental factors that have been implicated in schizophrenia. Therefore, there is reason to believe that one of the downstream consequences of dysfunction or hypofunction of these factors in schizophrenia is disrupted mTOR signalling and hence impaired protein synthesis. This results in abnormal neurodevelopment and deficient synaptic plasticity, outcomes which could underlie some of the positive, negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. This review will discuss the functional roles of the mTOR cascade and present evidence in support of a novel mTOR-based hypothesis of the neuropathology of schizophrenia. During neurodevelopment, genetic and epigenetic factors can disrupt mTOR signalling which affects synthesis of proteins essential for correct neuronal growth and network connectivity. This renders the CNS particularly vulnerable to the effects of secondary factors during adolescence which increases the risk of developing schizophrenia in adulthood. This review discusses the functional roles of the mTOR cascade and presents evidence in support of a novel mTOR-based hypothesis of the neuropathology of schizophrenia. Testing this hypothesis will advance our understanding of the aetiology of this illness and reveal novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anand Gururajan
- Behavioural Neuroscience Laboratory, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health, Parkville, Vic., Australia
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Gibney SM, Drexhage HA. Evidence for a dysregulated immune system in the etiology of psychiatric disorders. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2013; 8:900-20. [PMID: 23645137 DOI: 10.1007/s11481-013-9462-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 04/17/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
There is extensive bi-directional communication between the brain and the immune system in both health and disease. In recent years, the role of an altered immune system in the etiology of major psychiatric disorders has become more apparent. Studies have demonstrated that some patients with major psychiatric disorders exhibit characteristic signs of immune dysregulation and that this may be a common pathophysiological mechanism that underlies the development and progression of these disorders. Furthermore, many psychiatric disorders are also often accompanied by chronic medical conditions related to immune dysfunction such as autoimmune diseases, diabetes and atherosclerosis. One of the major psychiatric disorders that has been associated with an altered immune system is schizophrenia, with approximately one third of patients with this disorder showing immunological abnormalities such as an altered cytokine profile in serum and cerebrospinal fluid. An altered cytokine profile is also found in a proportion of patients with major depressive disorder and is thought to be potentially related to the pathophysiology of this disorder. Emerging evidence suggests that altered immune parameters may also be implicated in the neurobiological etiology of autism spectrum disorders. Further support for a role of immune dysregulation in the pathophysiology of these psychiatric disorders comes from studies showing the immunomodulating effects of antipsychotics and antidepressants, and the mood altering effects of anti-inflammatory therapies. This review will not attempt to discuss all of the psychiatric disorders that have been associated with an augmented immune system, but will instead focus on several key disorders where dysregulation of this system has been implicated in their pathophysiology including depression, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinead M Gibney
- Department of Immunology, Na1101, Erasmus MC, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, Erasmus MC, 3015 GE Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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20
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Strug LJ, Addis L, Chiang T, Baskurt Z, Li W, Clarke T, Hardison H, Kugler SL, Mandelbaum DE, Novotny EJ, Wolf SM, Pal DK. The genetics of reading disability in an often excluded sample: novel loci suggested for reading disability in Rolandic epilepsy. PLoS One 2012; 7:e40696. [PMID: 22815793 PMCID: PMC3399896 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0040696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2012] [Accepted: 06/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reading disability (RD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with genetic basis established in families segregating "pure" dyslexia. RD commonly occurs in neurodevelopmental disorders including Rolandic Epilepsy (RE), a complex genetic disorder. We performed genomewide linkage analysis of RD in RE families, testing the hypotheses that RD in RE families is genetically heterogenenous to pure dyslexia, and shares genetic influences with other sub-phenotypes of RE. METHODS We initially performed genome-wide linkage analysis using 1000 STR markers in 38 US families ascertained through a RE proband; most of these families were multiplex for RD. We analyzed the data by two-point and multipoint parametric LOD score methods. We then confirmed the linkage evidence in a second US dataset of 20 RE families. We also resequenced the SEMA3C gene at the 7q21 linkage locus in members of one multiplex RE/RD pedigree and the DISC1 gene in affected pedigrees at the 1q42 locus. RESULTS In the discovery dataset there was suggestive evidence of linkage for RD to chromosome 7q21 (two-point LOD score 3.05, multipoint LOD 3.08) and at 1q42 (two-point LOD 2.87, multipoint LOD 3.03). Much of the linkage evidence at 7q21 derived from families of French-Canadian origin, whereas the linkage evidence at 1q42 was well distributed across all the families. There was little evidence for linkage at known dyslexia loci. Combining the discovery and confirmation datasets increased the evidence at 1q42 (two-point LOD = 3.49, multipoint HLOD = 4.70), but decreased evidence at 7q21 (two-point LOD = 2.28, multipoint HLOD = 1.81), possibly because the replication sample did not have French Canadian representation. DISCUSSION Reading disability in rolandic epilepsy has a genetic basis and may be influenced by loci at 1q42 and, in some populations, at 7q21; there is little evidence of a role for known DYX loci discovered in "pure" dyslexia pedigrees. 1q42 and 7q21 are candidate novel dyslexia loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa J. Strug
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Laura Addis
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Theodore Chiang
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Zeynep Baskurt
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Weili Li
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Tara Clarke
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Huntley Hardison
- St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Steven L. Kugler
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - David E. Mandelbaum
- Hasbro Children’s Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Edward J. Novotny
- Yale University Medical Center, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Steven M. Wolf
- Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Deb K. Pal
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America
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21
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Whitford TJ, Savadjiev P, Kubicki M, O'Donnell LJ, Terry DP, Bouix S, Westin CF, Schneiderman JS, Bobrow L, Rausch AC, Niznikiewicz M, Nestor PG, Pantelis C, Wood SJ, McCarley RW, Shenton ME. Fiber geometry in the corpus callosum in schizophrenia: evidence for transcallosal misconnection. Schizophr Res 2011; 132:69-74. [PMID: 21831601 PMCID: PMC3172336 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2011.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2010] [Revised: 07/05/2011] [Accepted: 07/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Structural abnormalities in the callosal fibers connecting the heteromodal association areas of the prefrontal and temporoparietal cortices bilaterally have been suggested to play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia. AIMS To investigate for geometric abnormalities in these callosal fibers in schizophrenia patients by using a novel Diffusion-Tensor Imaging (DTI) metric of fiber geometry named Shape-Normalized Dispersion (SHD). METHODS DTIs (3T, 51 gradient directions, 1.7mm isotropic voxels) were acquired from 26 schizophrenia patients and 23 matched healthy controls. The prefrontal and temporoparietal fibers of the corpus callosum were extracted by means of whole-brain tractography, and their mean SHD calculated. RESULTS The schizophrenia patients exhibited subnormal levels of SHD in the prefrontal callosal fibers when controlling for between-group differences in Fractional Anisotropy. Reduced SHD could reflect either irregularly turbulent or inhomogeneously distributed fiber trajectories in the corpus callosum. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the transcallosal misconnectivity thought to be associated with schizophrenia could reflect abnormalities in fiber geometry. These abnormalities in fiber geometry could potentially be underpinned by neurodevelopmental irregularities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. Whitford
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Heath, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, Corresponding Author: Thomas J. Whitford, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 1249 Boylston St, Boston, MA, 02215, USA, Phone: +1 617 525 1059, Fax: +1 617 525 6150,
| | - Peter Savadjiev
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marek Kubicki
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Clinical Neuroscience Division, Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School Brockton, MA, USA
| | - Lauren J. O'Donnell
- Laboratory of Mathematics in Imaging, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Golby Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Douglas P. Terry
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sylvain Bouix
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Clinical Neuroscience Division, Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School Brockton, MA, USA
| | - Carl-Fredrik Westin
- Laboratory of Mathematics in Imaging, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jason S. Schneiderman
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laurel Bobrow
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew C. Rausch
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Margaret Niznikiewicz
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School Brockton, MA, USA
| | - Paul G. Nestor
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School Brockton, MA, USA,College of Liberal Arts, University of Massachusetts – Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Heath, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Stephen J. Wood
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Heath, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Robert W. McCarley
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School Brockton, MA, USA
| | - Martha E. Shenton
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Clinical Neuroscience Division, Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School Brockton, MA, USA
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22
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Burrows EL, McOmish CE, Hannan AJ. Gene-environment interactions and construct validity in preclinical models of psychiatric disorders. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2011; 35:1376-82. [PMID: 21168465 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2010] [Revised: 11/11/2010] [Accepted: 12/08/2010] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The contributions of genetic risk factors to susceptibility for brain disorders are often so closely intertwined with environmental factors that studying genes in isolation cannot provide the full picture of pathogenesis. With recent advances in our understanding of psychiatric genetics and environmental modifiers we are now in a position to develop more accurate animal models of psychiatric disorders which exemplify the complex interaction of genes and environment. Here, we consider some of the insights that have emerged from studying the relationship between defined genetic alterations and environmental factors in rodent models. A key issue in such animal models is the optimization of construct validity, at both genetic and environmental levels. Standard housing of laboratory mice and rats generally includes ad libitum food access and limited opportunity for physical exercise, leading to metabolic dysfunction under control conditions, and thus reducing validity of animal models with respect to clinical populations. A related issue, of specific relevance to neuroscientists, is that most standard-housed rodents have limited opportunity for sensory and cognitive stimulation, which in turn provides reduced incentive for complex motor activity. Decades of research using environmental enrichment has demonstrated beneficial effects on brain and behavior in both wild-type and genetically modified rodent models, relative to standard-housed littermate controls. One interpretation of such studies is that environmentally enriched animals more closely approximate average human levels of cognitive and sensorimotor stimulation, whereas the standard housing currently used in most laboratories models a more sedentary state of reduced mental and physical activity and abnormal stress levels. The use of such standard housing as a single environmental variable may limit the capacity for preclinical models to translate into successful clinical trials. Therefore, there is a need to optimize 'environmental construct validity' in animal models, while maintaining comparability between laboratories, so as to ensure optimal scientific and medical outcomes. Utilizing more sophisticated models to elucidate the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors will allow for improved construct, face and predictive validity, thus facilitating the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Burrows
- Howard Florey Institute, Florey Neuroscience Institutes, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
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23
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Nagai T, Ibi D, Yamada K. Animal Model for Schizophrenia That Reflects Gene-Environment Interactions. Biol Pharm Bull 2011; 34:1364-8. [DOI: 10.1248/bpb.34.1364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Taku Nagai
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University
| | - Daisuke Ibi
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University
| | - Kiyofumi Yamada
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University
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24
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van den Buuse M. Modeling the positive symptoms of schizophrenia in genetically modified mice: pharmacology and methodology aspects. Schizophr Bull 2010; 36:246-70. [PMID: 19900963 PMCID: PMC2833124 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbp132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 283] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, there have been huge advances in the use of genetically modified mice to study pathophysiological mechanisms involved in schizophrenia. This has allowed rapid progress in our understanding of the role of several proposed gene mechanisms in schizophrenia, and yet this research has also revealed how much still remains unresolved. Behavioral studies in genetically modified mice are reviewed with special emphasis on modeling psychotic-like behavior. I will particularly focus on observations on locomotor hyperactivity and disruptions of prepulse inhibition (PPI). Recommendations are included to address pharmacological and methodological aspects in future studies. Mouse models of dopaminergic and glutamatergic dysfunction are then discussed, reflecting the most important and widely studied neurotransmitter systems in schizophrenia. Subsequently, psychosis-like behavior in mice with modifications in the most widely studied schizophrenia susceptibility genes is reviewed. Taken together, the available studies reveal a wealth of available data which have already provided crucial new insight and mechanistic clues which could lead to new treatments or even prevention strategies for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarten van den Buuse
- Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia.
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25
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Abstract
The hippocampus is abnormal in schizophrenia. Smaller hippocampal volume is the most consistent finding and is present already in the early stages of the illness. The underlying cellular substrate is a subtle, yet functionally significant reduction of hippocampal interneurons. Neuroimaging studies have revealed a pattern of increased hippocampal activity at baseline and decreased recruitment during the performance of memory tasks. Hippocampal lesion models in rodents have replicated some of the pharmacological, anatomical and behavioral phenotype of schizophrenia. Taken together, this pattern of findings points to a disinhibition of hippocampal pyramidal cells and abnormal cortico-hippocampal interactions in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Room 3060, Nashville, TN 37212, USA.
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26
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Olgiati P, Mandelli L, Lorenzi C, Marino E, Adele P, Ferrari B, De Ronchi D, Serretti A. Schizophrenia: genetics, prevention and rehabilitation. Acta Neuropsychiatr 2009; 21:109-20. [PMID: 26953749 DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-5215.2009.00360.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Genetic factors are largely implicated in predisposing to schizophrenia. Environmental factors contribute to the onset of the disorder in individuals at increased genetic risk. Cognitive deficits have emerged as endophenotypes and potential therapeutic targets for schizophrenia because of their association with functional outcome. The aims of this review were to analyse the joint effect of genetic and environmental (G×E) factors on liability to schizophrenia and to investigate relationships between genes and cognitive endophenotypes focusing on practical applications for prevention and rehabilitation. METHODS Medline search of relevant studies published between 1990 and 2008. RESULTS In schizophrenia, examples of G×E interaction include the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) (Val158Met) polymorphism, which was found to moderate the onset of psychotic manifestations in response to stress and to increase the risk for psychosis related to cannabis use, and neurodevelopmental genes such as AKT1 (serine-threonine kinase), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), DTNBP1 (dysbindin) and GRM3 (metabotropic glutamate receptor 3), which were associated with development of schizophrenia in adulthood after exposure to perinatal obstetric complications. Neurocognitive deficits are recognised as core features of schizophrenia that facilitate the onset of the disorder and have a great impact on functional outcome. Neurocognitive deficits are also endophenotypes that have been linked to a variety of genes [COMT, neuregulin (NRG1), BDNF, Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) and dysbindin] conferring susceptibility to schizophrenia. Recently, it has emerged that cognitive improvement during rehabilitation therapy was under control of COMT (Val158Met) polymorphism. CONCLUSION This review could indicate a pivotal role of psychiatric genetics in prevention and rehabilitation of schizophrenic psychoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Olgiati
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Bologna University, Italy
| | - Laura Mandelli
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Bologna University, Italy
| | - Cristina Lorenzi
- 2Department of Psychiatry, Istituto Scientifico San Raffaele, Vita-Salute University, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Marino
- 2Department of Psychiatry, Istituto Scientifico San Raffaele, Vita-Salute University, Milan, Italy
| | - Pirovano Adele
- 2Department of Psychiatry, Istituto Scientifico San Raffaele, Vita-Salute University, Milan, Italy
| | - Barbara Ferrari
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Bologna University, Italy
| | - Diana De Ronchi
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Bologna University, Italy
| | - Alessandro Serretti
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Bologna University, Italy
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27
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Takahashi T, Suzuki M, Tsunoda M, Maeno N, Kawasaki Y, Zhou SY, Hagino H, Niu L, Tsuneki H, Kobayashi S, Sasaoka T, Seto H, Kurachi M, Ozaki N. The Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 Ser704Cys polymorphism and brain morphology in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2009; 172:128-35. [PMID: 19304459 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2009.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2008] [Revised: 11/26/2008] [Accepted: 01/31/2009] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) polymorphism is a strong candidate for a schizophrenia-susceptibility gene as it is widely expressed in cortical and limbic regions, but the effect of its genotype variation on brain morphology in schizophrenia is not well known. This study examined the association between the DISC1 Ser704Cys polymorphism and volumetric measurements for a broad range of fronto-parietal, temporal, and limbic-paralimbic regions using magnetic resonance imaging in a Japanese sample of 33 schizophrenia patients and 29 healthy comparison subjects. The Cys carriers had significantly larger volumes of the medial superior frontal gyrus and short insular cortex than the Ser homozygotes only for healthy comparison subjects. The Cys carriers tended to have a smaller supramarginal gyrus than the Ser homozygotes in schizophrenia patients, but not in healthy comparison subjects. The right medial superior frontal gyrus volume was significantly correlated with daily dosage of antipsychotic medication in Ser homozygote schizophrenia patients. These different genotype effects of the DISC1 Ser704Cys polymorphism on the brain morphology in schizophrenia patients and healthy comparison subjects suggest that variation in the DISC1 gene might be, at least partly, involved in the neurobiology of schizophrenia. Our findings also suggest that the DISC1 genotype variation might have some relevance to the medication effect on brain morphology in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsutomu Takahashi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
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28
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Lakhan SE, Kramer A. Schizophrenia genomics and proteomics: are we any closer to biomarker discovery? Behav Brain Funct 2009; 5:2. [PMID: 19128481 PMCID: PMC2627915 DOI: 10.1186/1744-9081-5-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2008] [Accepted: 01/07/2009] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The field of proteomics has made leaps and bounds in the last 10 years particularly in the fields of oncology and cardiovascular medicine. In comparison, neuroproteomics is still playing catch up mainly due to the relative complexity of neurological disorders. Schizophrenia is one such disorder, believed to be the results of multiple factors both genetic and environmental. Affecting over 2 million people in the US alone, it has become a major clinical and public health concern worldwide. This paper gives an update of schizophrenia biomarker research as reviewed by Lakhan in 2006 and gives us a rundown of the progress made during the last two years. Several studies demonstrate the potential of cerebrospinal fluid as a source of neuro-specific biomarkers. Genetic association studies are making headway in identifying candidate genes for schizophrenia. In addition, metabonomics, bioinformatics, and neuroimaging techniques are aiming to complete the picture by filling in knowledge gaps. International cooperation in the form of genomics and protein databases and brain banks is facilitating research efforts. While none of the recent developments described here in qualifies as biomarker discovery, many are likely to be stepping stones towards that goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaheen E Lakhan
- Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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29
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Crespi B. Genomic imprinting in the development and evolution of psychotic spectrum conditions. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2008; 83:441-493. [PMID: 18783362 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185x.2008.00050.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
I review and evaluate genetic and genomic evidence salient to the hypothesis that the development and evolution of psychotic spectrum conditions have been mediated in part by alterations of imprinted genes expressed in the brain. Evidence from the genetics and genomics of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, Prader-Willi syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, and other neurogenetic conditions support the hypothesis that the etiologies of psychotic spectrum conditions commonly involve genetic and epigenetic imbalances in the effects of imprinted genes, with a bias towards increased relative effects from imprinted genes with maternal expression or other genes favouring maternal interests. By contrast, autistic spectrum conditions, including Kanner autism, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, Turner syndrome, Angelman syndrome, and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, commonly engender increased relative effects from paternally expressed imprinted genes, or reduced effects from genes favouring maternal interests. Imprinted-gene effects on the etiologies of autistic and psychotic spectrum conditions parallel the diametric effects of imprinted genes in placental and foetal development, in that psychotic spectrum conditions tend to be associated with undergrowth and relatively-slow brain development, whereas some autistic spectrum conditions involve brain and body overgrowth, especially in foetal development and early childhood. An important role for imprinted genes in the etiologies of psychotic and autistic spectrum conditions is consistent with neurodevelopmental models of these disorders, and with predictions from the conflict theory of genomic imprinting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Crespi
- Department of Biosciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby BCV5A1S6, Canada.
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30
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Arad M, Weiner I. Fluctuation of latent inhibition along the estrous cycle in the rat: modeling the cyclicity of symptoms in schizophrenic women? Psychoneuroendocrinology 2008; 33:1401-10. [PMID: 18819755 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2008] [Revised: 08/03/2008] [Accepted: 08/06/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Latent inhibition (LI) is a cross-species selective attention phenomenon manifested as poorer conditioning of stimuli that had been experienced as irrelevant prior to conditioning. Disruption of LI by pro-psychotic agents such as amphetamine and its restoration by antipsychotic drugs (APDs) is a well-established model of psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia. There is evidence that in schizophrenic women symptom severity and treatment response fluctuate along the menstrual cycle. Here we tested whether hormonal fluctuation along the estrous cycle in female rats (as determined indirectly via the cellular composition of the vaginal smears) would modulate the expression of LI and its response to APDs. The results showed that LI was seen if rats were in estrus during pre-exposure stage and in metestrus during the conditioning stage of the LI procedure (estrus-metestrus) but not along the remaining sequential phases of the cycle (metestrus-diestrus, diestrus-proestrus and proestrus-estrus). Additionally, the efficacy of typical and atypical APDs, haloperidol and clozapine, respectively, in restoring LI depended on estrous condition. Only LI disruption in proestrus-estrus exhibited sensitivity to both APDs, whereas LI disruption in the other two phases was alleviated by clozapine but not haloperidol. Our results show for the first time that both the expression of LI and its sensitivity to APDs are modulated along the estrous cycle, consistent with fluctuations in psychotic symptoms and response to APDs seen along women's menstrual cycle. Importantly, the results indicate that although both low and high levels of hormones may give rise to psychotic-like behavior as manifested in LI loss, the pro-psychotic state associated with low hormonal level is more severe due to reduced sensitivity to typical APDs. The latter constellation may mimic states of increased vulnerability to psychosis coupled with reduced treatment response documented in schizophrenic women during periods associated with low levels of hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Arad
- Department of Psychology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel.
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31
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Abstract
Mitochondrial diseases (encephalomyopathies) have traditionally been ascribed to defects of the respiratory chain, which has helped researchers explain their genetic and clinical complexity. However, other mitochondrial functions are greatly important for the nervous system, including protein importation, organellar dynamics, and programmed cell death. Defects in genes controlling these functions are attracting increasing attention as causes not only of neurological (and psychiatric) diseases but also of age-related neurodegenerative disorders. After discussing some pathogenic conundrums regarding the neurological manifestations of the respiratory chain defects, we review altered mitochondrial dynamics in the etiology of specific neurological diseases and in the physiopathology of more common neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore DiMauro
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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32
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Qu M, Tang F, Wang L, Yan H, Han Y, Yan J, Yue W, Zhang D. Associations of ATF4 gene polymorphisms with schizophrenia in male patients. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2008; 147B:732-6. [PMID: 18163433 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.30675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) is considered as a positional candidate gene for schizophrenia due to its location at chromosome 22q13, a region linked to schizophrenia. Furthermore, as protein interaction partner of ATF4, disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) and its signal pathway implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia have been widely supported by a number of genetic and neurobiological studies. Our aim was to investigate whether ATF4 is associated with schizophrenia in case-control samples of Han Chinese subjects consisting of 352 schizophrenia patients and 357 healthy controls. We detected 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ATF4 locus, two of which were analyzed, including one insertion at the putative core promoter region (rs17001266, -/C) and one nonsynonymous variant in exon 1 (rs4894, C/A, Pro22Gln). Allele distributions of two SNPs showed significant associations with schizophrenia in male subjects (respectively, rs17001266: P = 0.021, OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.07-2.33; rs4894: P = 0.004, OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.19-2.67), but not in female subjects as well as the entire population. Two haplotypes CC and -A constructed of rs17001266-rs4894 also revealed significant associations with schizophrenia in male group (global P = 0.0097). These findings support that ATF4 gene may be involved in susceptibility to schizophrenia with sex-dependent effect in the Chinese Han population and suggest that further functional assays are needed to verify their relevance to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Qu
- Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
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33
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Abstract
This article provides an overview of the past year's literature on schizophrenia genetics. Quantitative genetics continues to be an important foundation in which family and twin studies have been used to evaluate potential endophenotypes. Research in molecular genetics has focused on detecting multiple genes of small effect, and developments relating to key positional and functional candidate genes are reviewed. Large-scale, multicenter studies are proving to be important in this quest. Research using neuroimaging and animal modeling studies continues to link genotype with phenotype. It is increasingly apparent that some candidate genes considered important in schizophrenia are likely to be relevant to the etiology of other psychotic disorders, including bipolar disorder. This notion may challenge traditional disease classifications, not only in research but potentially in clinical practice.
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Pedrosa E, Stefanescu R, Margolis B, Petruolo O, Lo Y, Nolan K, Novak T, Stopkova P, Lachman HM. Analysis of protocadherin alpha gene enhancer polymorphism in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2008; 102:210-9. [PMID: 18508241 PMCID: PMC2862380 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2008.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2008] [Revised: 04/07/2008] [Accepted: 04/10/2008] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cadherins and protocadherins are cell adhesion proteins that play an important role in neuronal migration, differentiation and synaptogenesis, properties that make them targets to consider in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) pathogenesis. Consequently, allelic variation occurring in protocadherin and cadherin encoding genes that map to regions of the genome targeted in SZ and BD linkage studies are particularly strong candidates to consider. One such set of candidate genes is the 5q31-linked PCDH family, which consists of more than 50 exons encoding three related, though distinct family members--alpha, beta, and gamma--which can generate thousands of different protocadherin proteins through alternative promoter usage and cis-alternative splicing. In this study, we focused on a SNP, rs31745, which is located in a putative PCDHalpha enhancer mapped by ChIP-chip using antibodies to covalently modified histone H3. A striking increase in homozygotes for the minor allele at this locus was detected in patients with BD. Molecular analysis revealed that the SNP causes allele-specific changes in binding to a brain protein. The findings suggest that the 5q31-linked PCDH locus should be more thoroughly considered as a disease-susceptibility locus in psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Pedrosa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Basic Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Radu Stefanescu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Basic Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Benjamin Margolis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Basic Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Oriana Petruolo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Basic Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Yungtai Lo
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
| | - Karen Nolan
- Department of Psychiatry, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York
| | - Tomas Novak
- Prague Psychiatric Center, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Herbert M. Lachman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Basic Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
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Prasad KM, Keshavan MS. Structural cerebral variations as useful endophenotypes in schizophrenia: do they help construct "extended endophenotypes"? Schizophr Bull 2008; 34:774-90. [PMID: 18408230 PMCID: PMC2632444 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbn017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Endophenotypes represent intermediate phenotypes on the putative causal pathway from the genotype to the phenotype. They offer a potentially valuable strategy to examine the molecular etiopathology of complex behavioral phenotypes such as schizophrenia. Neurocognitive and neurophysiological impairments that suggest functional impairments associated with schizophrenia have been proposed as endophenotypes. However, few studies have examined the structural variations in the brain that might underlie the functional impairments as useful endophenotypes for schizophrenia. Over the past three decades, there has been an impressive body of literature supporting brain structural alterations in schizophrenia. We critically reviewed the extant literature on the neuroanatomical variations in schizophrenia in this paper to evaluate their candidacy as endophenotypes and how useful they are in furthering the understanding of etiology and pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Brain morphometric measures meet many of the criteria set by different investigators, such as being robustly associated with schizophrenia, heritable, quantifiable, and present in unaffected family members more frequently than in the general population. We conclude that the brain morphometric alterations appear largely to meet the criteria for endophenotypes in psychotic disorders. Some caveats for the utility of endophenotypes are discussed. A proposal to combine more than one endophenotype ("extended endophenotype") is suggested. Further work is needed to examine how specific genes and their interactions with the environment may produce alterations in brain structure and function that accompany psychotic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konasale M. Prasad
- Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
| | - Matcheri S. Keshavan
- Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201
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36
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Analysis of protocadherin alpha gene deletion variant in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Psychiatr Genet 2008; 18:110-5. [DOI: 10.1097/ypg.0b013e3282fa1838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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37
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Millan MJ, Brocco M. Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia: a Review of Developmental and Genetic Models, and Pro-cognitive Profile of the Optimised D3 > D2 Antagonist, S33138. Therapie 2008; 63:187-229. [DOI: 10.2515/therapie:2008041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/02/2008] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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38
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Li Z, Wu Y, Baraban JM. The Translin/Trax RNA binding complex: clues to function in the nervous system. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2008; 1779:479-85. [PMID: 18424275 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2008.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2007] [Revised: 02/26/2008] [Accepted: 03/19/2008] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Translin and Trax are components of an evolutionarily conserved RNA binding complex. Deletion of Translin in yeast, Drosophila and mouse produces a dramatic loss of Trax protein indicating that its stable expression is dependent on its association with Translin. Analysis of Translin KO mice has revealed multiple behavioral abnormalities and alterations in levels of transcripts encoding synaptic proteins. A confluence of localization, biochemical and RNA trafficking studies supports the view that this complex mediates dendritic trafficking of RNAs, a process thought to play a critical role in synaptic plasticity. However, further studies are needed to define its RNA cargoes, its precise role in this process, and how its binding activity and localization are regulated. Nevertheless, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the Translin/Trax complex be included among the cadre of RNA binding complexes, such as Staufen and CPEB, that regulate dendritic trafficking of RNA in neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Li
- Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA
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39
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Lang UE, Puls I, Muller DJ, Strutz-Seebohm N, Gallinat J. Molecular mechanisms of schizophrenia. Cell Physiol Biochem 2007; 20:687-702. [PMID: 17982252 DOI: 10.1159/000110430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/11/2007] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex disorder, where family, twin and adoption studies have been demonstrating a high heritability of the disease and that this disease is not simply defined by several major genes but rather evolves from addition or potentiation of a specific cluster of genes, which subsequently determines the genetic vulnerability of an individual. Linkage and association studies suggest that a genetic vulnerablility, is not forcefully leading to the disease since triggering factors and environmental influences, i.e. birth complications, drug abuse, urban background or time of birth have been identified. This has lead to the assumption that schizophrenia is not only a genetically defined static disorder but a dynamic process leading to dysregulation of multiple pathways. There are several different hypothesis based on several facets of the disease, some of them due to the relatively well-known mechanisms of therapeutic agents. The most widely considered neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia integrates environmental influences and causative genes. The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia is based on the fact that all common treatments involve antidopaminergic mechanisms and genes such as DRD2, DRD3, DARPP-32, BDNF or COMT are closely related to dopaminergic system functioning. The glutamatergic hypothesis of schizophrenia lead recently to a first successful mGlu2/3 receptor agonistic drug and is underpinned by significant findings in genes regulating the glutamatergic system (SLC1A6, SLC1A2 GRIN1, GRIN2A, GRIA1, NRG1, ErbB4, DTNBP1, DAAO, G72/30, GRM3). Correspondingly, GABA has been proposed to modulate the pathophysiology of the disease which is represented by the involvement of genes like GABRA1, GABRP, GABRA6 and Reelin. Moreover, several genes implicating immune, signaling and networking deficits have been reported to be involved in the disease, i.e. DISC1, RGS4, PRODH, DGCR6, ZDHHC8, DGCR2, Akt, CREB, IL-1B, IL-1RN, IL-10, IL-1B. However, molecular findings suggest that a complex interplay between receptors, kinases, proteins and hormones is involved in schizophrenia. In a unifying hypothesis, different cascades merge into another that ultimately lead to the development of symptoms adherent to schizophrenic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Undine E Lang
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte, Berlin (Germany).
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Keshavan MS, Prasad KM, Pearlson G. Are brain structural abnormalities useful as endophenotypes in schizophrenia? Int Rev Psychiatry 2007; 19:397-406. [PMID: 17671872 DOI: 10.1080/09540260701486233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Endophenotypes, which represent intermediate phenotypes on the causal pathway from the genotype to the phenotype, can help unravel the molecular etiopathology of complex psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Several candidate endophenotypic markers have been proposed in schizophrenia, including neurocognitive and neurophysiological impairments. Over the past three decades, there has been an impressive body of literature in support of brain structural alterations in schizophrenia, but few studies have critically examined whether these abnormalities can be considered useful endophenotypic markers. We critically reviewed the extant literature on the neuroanatomy of schizophrenia in this paper to evaluate their candidacy as endophenotypes. Structural brain changes are robustly associated with schizophrenia, are state independent and may cut across the diagnostic boundaries of major psychotic illnesses. Brain morphometric measures are heritable, co-segregate with the broadly defined neurocognitive and behavioural phenotypes within the first degree relatives of schizophrenia patients and are present in unaffected family members more frequently than in the general population. Taken together, brain morphometric alterations appear largely to meet the criteria for endophenotypes in psychotic disorders. Further work is needed to examine how specific genes and their interactions with the environment may produce alterations in brain structure and function that accompany psychotic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matcheri S Keshavan
- Department of Psychiatry, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4201 St. Antoine Boulevard, Detroit, MA 48201, USA.
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