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Burrack N, Yitzhaky A, Mizrahi L, Wang M, Stern S, Hertzberg L. Altered Expression of PDE4 Genes in Schizophrenia: Insights from a Brain and Blood Sample Meta-Analysis and iPSC-Derived Neurons. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:609. [PMID: 38790238 PMCID: PMC11121586 DOI: 10.3390/genes15050609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia symptomatology includes negative symptoms and cognitive impairment. Several studies have linked schizophrenia with the PDE4 family of enzymes due to their genetic association and function in cognitive processes such as long-term potentiation. We conducted a systematic gene expression meta-analysis of four PDE4 genes (PDE4A-D) in 10 brain sample datasets (437 samples) and three blood sample datasets (300 samples). Subsequently, we measured mRNA levels in iPSC-derived hippocampal dentate gyrus neurons generated from fibroblasts of three groups: healthy controls, healthy monozygotic twins (MZ), and their MZ siblings with schizophrenia. We found downregulation of PDE4B in brain tissues, further validated by independent data of the CommonMind consortium (515 samples). Interestingly, the downregulation signal was present in a subgroup of the patients, while the others showed no differential expression or even upregulation. Notably, PDE4A, PDE4B, and PDE4D exhibited upregulation in iPSC-derived neurons compared to healthy controls, whereas in blood samples, PDE4B was found to be upregulated while PDE4A was downregulated. While the precise mechanism and direction of altered PDE4 expression necessitate further investigation, the observed multilevel differential expression across the brain, blood, and iPSC-derived neurons compellingly suggests the involvement of PDE4 genes in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitzan Burrack
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel;
- Clinical Research Center, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel
| | - Assif Yitzhaky
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Liron Mizrahi
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3103301, Israel
| | - Meiyan Wang
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Shani Stern
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3103301, Israel
| | - Libi Hertzberg
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
- Shalvata Mental Health Center, Affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 13 Aliat Hanoar St., Hod Hasharon 45100, Israel
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2
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Juković M, Ratkaj I, Kalafatovic D, Bradshaw NJ. Amyloids, amorphous aggregates and assemblies of peptides - Assessing aggregation. Biophys Chem 2024; 308:107202. [PMID: 38382283 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2024.107202] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid and amorphous aggregates represent the two major categories of aggregates associated with diseases, and although exhibiting distinct features, researchers often treat them as equivalent, which demonstrates the need for more thorough characterization. Here, we compare amyloid and amorphous aggregates based on their biochemical properties, kinetics, and morphological features. To further decipher this issue, we propose the use of peptide self-assemblies as minimalistic models for understanding the aggregation process. Peptide building blocks are significantly smaller than proteins that participate in aggregation, however, they make a plausible means to bridge the gap in discerning the aggregation process at the more complex, protein level. Additionally, we explore the potential use of peptide-inspired models to research the liquid-liquid phase separation as a feasible mechanism preceding amyloid formation. Connecting these concepts can help clarify our understanding of aggregation-related disorders and potentially provide novel drug targets to impede and reverse these serious illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Juković
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Ivana Ratkaj
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Daniela Kalafatovic
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
| | - Nicholas J Bradshaw
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
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3
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Zaharija B, Bradshaw NJ. Aggregation of Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 arises from a central region of the protein. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2024; 130:110923. [PMID: 38135095 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
An emerging approach to studying major mental illness is through proteostasis, with the identification of several proteins that form insoluble aggregates in the brains of patients. One of these is Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1), a neurodevelopmentally-important scaffold protein, and product of a classic schizophrenia risk gene. DISC1 aggregates have been detected in post mortem brain tissue from patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, as well as various model systems, although the mechanism by which it aggregates is still unclear. Aggregation of two other proteins implicated in mental illness, TRIOBP-1 and NPAS3, was shown to be dependent on very specific structural regions of the protein. We therefore looked at the domain structure of DISC1, and investigated which structural elements are key for its aggregation. While none of the known structured DISC1 regions (named D, I, S and C respectively) formed aggregates individually when expressed in neuroblastoma cells, the combination of the D and I regions, plus the linker region between them, formed visible aggregates. Further refinement revealed that a region of approximately 30 amino acids between these two regions is critical for aggregation, and deletion of this region is sufficient to abolish the aggregation propensity of DISC1. This finding from mammalian cell culture contrasts with the recent determination that the C-region of DISC1 can aggregate in vitro, although some variations of the C-terminal of DISC1 could aggregate in our system. It therefore appears likely that DISC1 aggregation, implicated in mental illness, can occur through at least two distinct mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beti Zaharija
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Nicholas J Bradshaw
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, Croatia.
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Samardžija B, Juković M, Zaharija B, Renner É, Palkovits M, Bradshaw NJ. Co-Aggregation and Parallel Aggregation of Specific Proteins in Major Mental Illness. Cells 2023; 12:1848. [PMID: 37508512 PMCID: PMC10378145 DOI: 10.3390/cells12141848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Disrupted proteostasis is an emerging area of research into major depressive disorder. Several proteins have been implicated as forming aggregates specifically in the brains of subsets of patients with psychiatric illnesses. These proteins include CRMP1, DISC1, NPAS3 and TRIOBP-1. It is unclear, however, whether these proteins normally aggregate together in the same individuals and, if so, whether each protein aggregates independently of each other ("parallel aggregation") or if the proteins physically interact and aggregate together ("co-aggregation"). MATERIALS AND METHODS Post mortem insular cortex samples from major depressive disorder and Alzheimer's disease patients, suicide victims and control individuals had their insoluble fractions isolated and tested by Western blotting to determine which of these proteins are insoluble and, therefore, likely to be aggregating. The ability of the proteins to co-aggregate (directly interact and form common aggregate structures) was tested by systematic pairwise expression of the proteins in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, which were then examined by immunofluorescent microscopy. RESULTS Many individuals displayed multiple insoluble proteins in the brain, although not enough to imply interaction between the proteins. Cell culture analysis revealed that only a few of the proteins analyzed can consistently co-aggregate with each other: DISC1 with each of CRMP1 and TRIOBP-1. DISC1 was able to induce aggregation of full length TRIOBP-1, but not individual domains of TRIOBP-1 when they were expressed individually. CONCLUSIONS While specific proteins are capable of co-aggregating, and appear to do so in the brains of individuals with mental illness and potentially also with suicidal tendency, it is more common for such proteins to aggregate in a parallel manner, through independent mechanisms. This information aids in understanding the distribution of protein aggregates among mental illness patients and is therefore important for any future diagnostic or therapeutic approaches based on this aspect of mental illness pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bobana Samardžija
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Maja Juković
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Beti Zaharija
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Éva Renner
- Human Brain Tissue Bank & Laboratory, Semmelweis University, 1094 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Miklós Palkovits
- Human Brain Tissue Bank & Laboratory, Semmelweis University, 1094 Budapest, Hungary
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Mekiten O, Yitzhaky A, Gould N, Rosenblum K, Hertzberg L. Ribosome subunits are upregulated in brain samples of a subgroup of individuals with schizophrenia: A systematic gene expression meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 164:372-381. [PMID: 37413782 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
One of the new theories accounting for the underlying pathophysiology of schizophrenia is excitation/inhibition imbalance. Interestingly, perturbation in protein synthesis machinery as well as oxidative stress can lead to excitation/inhibition imbalance. We thus performed a systematic meta-analysis of the expression of 79 ribosome subunit genes and two oxidative-stress related genes, HIF1A and NQO1, in brain samples of individuals with schizophrenia vs. healthy controls. We integrated 12 gene expression datasets, following the PRISMA guidelines (overall 511 samples, 253 schizophrenia and 258 controls). Five ribosome subunit genes were significantly upregulated in a subgroup of the patients with schizophrenia, while 24 (30%) showed a tendency for upregulation. HIF1A and NQO1 were also found to be significantly upregulated. Moreover, HIF1A and NQO1 showed positive correlation with the expression of the upregulated ribosome subunit genes. Our results, together with previous findings, suggest a possible role for altered mRNA translation in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, in association with markers of increased oxidative stress in a subgroup of patients. Further studies should define whether the upregulation of ribosome subunits result in altered mRNA translation, which proteins are modulated and how it characterizes a subgroup of the patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ori Mekiten
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
| | - Assif Yitzhaky
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Nathaniel Gould
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Kobi Rosenblum
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; Center for Gene Manipulation in the Brain, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Libi Hertzberg
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel; Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel; Shalvata Mental Health Center, Israel.
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Consolidation of metabolomic, proteomic, and GWAS data in connective model of schizophrenia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2139. [PMID: 36747015 PMCID: PMC9901842 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29117-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite of multiple systematic studies of schizophrenia based on proteomics, metabolomics, and genome-wide significant loci, reconstruction of underlying mechanism is still a challenging task. Combination of the advanced data for quantitative proteomics, metabolomics, and genome-wide association study (GWAS) can enhance the current fundamental knowledge about molecular pathogenesis of schizophrenia. In this study, we utilized quantitative proteomic and metabolomic assay, and high throughput genotyping for the GWAS study. We identified 20 differently expressed proteins that were validated on an independent cohort of patients with schizophrenia, including ALS, A1AG1, PEDF, VTDB, CERU, APOB, APOH, FASN, GPX3, etc. and almost half of them are new for schizophrenia. The metabolomic survey revealed 18 group-specific compounds, most of which were the part of transformation of tyrosine and steroids with the prevalence to androgens (androsterone sulfate, thyroliberin, thyroxine, dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione, cholesterol sulfate, metanephrine, dopaquinone, etc.). The GWAS assay mostly failed to reveal significantly associated loci therefore 52 loci with the smoothened p < 10-5 were fractionally integrated into proteome-metabolome data. We integrated three omics layers and powered them by the quantitative analysis to propose a map of molecular events associated with schizophrenia psychopathology. The resulting interplay between different molecular layers emphasizes a strict implication of lipids transport, oxidative stress, imbalance in steroidogenesis and associated impartments of thyroid hormones as key interconnected nodes essential for understanding of how the regulation of distinct metabolic axis is achieved and what happens in the conditioned proteome and metabolome to produce a schizophrenia-specific pattern.
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7
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Zaharija B, Odorčić M, Hart A, Samardžija B, Marreiros R, Prikulis I, Juković M, Hyde TM, Kleinman JE, Korth C, Bradshaw NJ. TRIOBP-1 Protein Aggregation Exists in Both Major Depressive Disorder and Schizophrenia, and Can Occur through Two Distinct Regions of the Protein. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911048. [PMID: 36232351 PMCID: PMC9569677 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of proteinopathy, the accumulation of specific proteins as aggregates in neurons, is an emerging aspect of the pathology of schizophrenia and other major mental illnesses. Among the initial proteins implicated in forming such aggregates in these conditions is Trio and F-actin Binding Protein isoform 1 (TRIOBP-1), a ubiquitously expressed protein involved in the stabilization of the actin cytoskeleton. Here we investigate the insolubility of TRIOBP-1, as an indicator of aggregation, in brain samples from 25 schizophrenia patients, 25 major depressive disorder patients and 50 control individuals (anterior cingulate cortex, BA23). Strikingly, insoluble TRIOBP-1 is considerably more prevalent in both of these conditions than in controls, further implicating TRIOBP-1 aggregation in schizophrenia and indicating a role in major depressive disorder. These results were only seen using a high stringency insolubility assay (previously used to study DISC1 and other proteins), but not a lower stringency assay that would be expected to also detect functional, actin-bound TRIOBP-1. Previously, we have also determined that a region of 25 amino acids in the center of this protein is critical for its ability to form aggregates. Here we attempt to refine this further, through the expression of various truncated mutant TRIOBP-1 vectors in neuroblastoma cells and examining their aggregation. In this way, it was possible to narrow down the aggregation-critical region of TRIOBP-1 to just 8 amino acids (333–340 of the 652 amino acid-long TRIOBP-1). Surprisingly our results suggested that a second section of TRIOBP-1 is also capable of independently inducing aggregation: the optionally expressed 59 amino acids at the extreme N-terminus of the protein. As a result, the 597 amino acid long version of TRIOBP-1 (also referred to as “Tara” or “TAP68”) has reduced potential to form aggregates. The presence of insoluble TRIOBP-1 in brain samples from patients, combined with insight into the mechanism of aggregation of TRIOBP-1 and generation of an aggregation-resistant mutant TRIOBP-1 that lacks both these regions, will be of significant use in further investigating the mechanism and consequences of TRIOBP-1 aggregation in major mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beti Zaharija
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Maja Odorčić
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Anja Hart
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Bobana Samardžija
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Rita Marreiros
- Department of Neuropathology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ingrid Prikulis
- Department of Neuropathology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Maja Juković
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Thomas M. Hyde
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21295, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Joel E. Kleinman
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21295, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Carsten Korth
- Department of Neuropathology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Correspondence: (C.K.); (N.J.B.)
| | - Nicholas J. Bradshaw
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
- Department of Neuropathology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Correspondence: (C.K.); (N.J.B.)
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Casas BS, Arancibia-Altamirano D, Acevedo-La Rosa F, Garrido-Jara D, Maksaev V, Pérez-Monje D, Palma V. It takes two to tango: Widening our understanding of the onset of schizophrenia from a neuro-angiogenic perspective. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:946706. [PMID: 36092733 PMCID: PMC9448889 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.946706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a chronic debilitating mental disorder characterized by perturbations in thinking, perception, and behavior, along with brain connectivity deficiencies, neurotransmitter dysfunctions, and loss of gray brain matter. To date, schizophrenia has no cure and pharmacological treatments are only partially efficacious, with about 30% of patients describing little to no improvement after treatment. As in most neurological disorders, the main descriptions of schizophrenia physiopathology have been focused on neural network deficiencies. However, to sustain proper neural activity in the brain, another, no less important network is operating: the vast, complex and fascinating vascular network. Increasing research has characterized schizophrenia as a systemic disease where vascular involvement is important. Several neuro-angiogenic pathway disturbances have been related to schizophrenia. Alterations, ranging from genetic polymorphisms, mRNA, and protein alterations to microRNA and abnormal metabolite processing, have been evaluated in plasma, post-mortem brain, animal models, and patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) models. During embryonic brain development, the coordinated formation of blood vessels parallels neuro/gliogenesis and results in the structuration of the neurovascular niche, which brings together physical and molecular signals from both systems conforming to the Blood-Brain barrier. In this review, we offer an upfront perspective on distinctive angiogenic and neurogenic signaling pathways that might be involved in the biological causality of schizophrenia. We analyze the role of pivotal angiogenic-related pathways such as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and HIF signaling related to hypoxia and oxidative stress events; classic developmental pathways such as the NOTCH pathway, metabolic pathways such as the mTOR/AKT cascade; emerging neuroinflammation, and neurodegenerative processes such as UPR, and also discuss non-canonic angiogenic/axonal guidance factor signaling. Considering that all of the mentioned above pathways converge at the Blood-Brain barrier, reported neurovascular alterations could have deleterious repercussions on overall brain functioning in schizophrenia.
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Tomoda T, Sumitomo A, Newton D, Sibille E. Molecular origin of somatostatin-positive neuron vulnerability. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:2304-2314. [PMID: 35145229 PMCID: PMC9133093 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01463-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Reduced somatostatin (SST) and dysfunction of SST-positive (SST+) neurons are hallmarks of neurological disorders and associated with mood disturbances, but the molecular origin of SST+ neuron vulnerability is unknown. Using chronic psychosocial stress as a paradigm to induce elevated behavioral emotionality in rodents, we report a selective vulnerability of SST+ neurons through exacerbated unfolded protein response (UPR) of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), or ER stress, in the prefrontal cortex. We next show that genetically suppressing ER stress in SST+ neurons, but not in pyramidal neurons, normalized behavioral emotionality induced by psychosocial stress. In search for intrinsic factors mediating SST+ neuron vulnerability, we found that the forced expression of the SST precursor protein (preproSST) in SST+ neurons, mimicking psychosocial stress-induced early proteomic changes, induces ER stress, whereas mature SST or processing-incompetent preproSST does not. Biochemical analyses further show that psychosocial stress induces SST protein aggregation under elevated ER stress conditions. These results demonstrate that SST processing in the ER is a SST+ neuron-intrinsic vulnerability factor under conditions of sustained or over-activated UPR, hence negatively impacting SST+ neuron functions. Combined with observations in major medical illness, such as diabetes, where excess ER processing of preproinsulin similarly causes ER stress and β cell dysfunction, this suggests a universal mechanism for proteinopathy that is induced by excess processing of native endogenous proteins, playing critical pathophysiological roles that extend to neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshifumi Tomoda
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, Canada.
| | - Akiko Sumitomo
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Dwight Newton
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Etienne Sibille
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, Canada.
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, Canada.
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10
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Hemmings SMJ, Swart P, Womersely JS, Ovenden ES, van den Heuvel LL, McGregor NW, Meier S, Bardien S, Abrahams S, Tromp G, Emsley R, Carr J, Seedat S. RNA-seq analysis of gene expression profiles in posttraumatic stress disorder, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia identifies roles for common and distinct biological pathways. DISCOVER MENTAL HEALTH 2022; 2:6. [PMID: 37861850 PMCID: PMC10501040 DOI: 10.1007/s44192-022-00009-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Evidence suggests that shared pathophysiological mechanisms in neuropsychiatric disorders (NPDs) may contribute to risk and resilience. We used single-gene and network-level transcriptomic approaches to investigate shared and disorder-specific processes underlying posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and schizophrenia in a South African sample. RNA-seq was performed on blood obtained from cases and controls from each cohort. Gene expression and weighted gene correlation network analyses (WGCNA) were performed using DESeq2 and CEMiTool, respectively. Significant differences in gene expression were limited to the PTSD cohort. However, WGCNA implicated, amongst others, ribosomal expression, inflammation and ubiquitination as key players in the NPDs under investigation. Differential expression in ribosomal-related pathways was observed in the PTSD and PD cohorts, and focal adhesion and extracellular matrix pathways were implicated in PD and schizophrenia. We propose that, despite different phenotypic presentations, core transdiagnostic mechanisms may play important roles in the molecular aetiology of NPDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sian M J Hemmings
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa.
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Patricia Swart
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jacqueline S Womersely
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ellen S Ovenden
- Systems Genetics Working Group, Department of Genetics, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Leigh L van den Heuvel
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nathaniel W McGregor
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
- Systems Genetics Working Group, Department of Genetics, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Stuart Meier
- Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Tuberculosis Bioinformatics Initiative, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Soraya Bardien
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Shameemah Abrahams
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Gerard Tromp
- Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Tuberculosis Bioinformatics Initiative, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Robin Emsley
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
| | - Jonathan Carr
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Soraya Seedat
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
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11
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Hui KK, Endo R, Sawa A, Tanaka M. A Perspective on the Potential Involvement of Impaired Proteostasis in Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:335-345. [PMID: 34836635 PMCID: PMC8792182 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Recent genetic approaches have demonstrated that genetic factors contribute to the pathologic origins of neuropsychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, the exact pathophysiological mechanism for most cases remains unclear. Recent studies have demonstrated alterations in pathways of protein homeostasis (proteostasis) and identified several proteins that are misfolded and/or aggregated in the brains of patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, thus providing early evidence that disrupted proteostasis may be a contributing factor to their pathophysiology. Unlike neurodegenerative disorders in which massive neuronal and synaptic losses are observed, proteostasis impairments in neuropsychiatric disorders do not lead to robust neuronal death, but rather likely act via loss- and gain-of-function effects to disrupt neuronal and synaptic functions. Furthermore, abnormal activation of or overwhelmed endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial quality control pathways may exacerbate the pathophysiological changes initiated by impaired proteostasis, as these organelles are critical for proper neuronal functions and involved in the maintenance of proteostasis. This perspective article reviews recent findings implicating proteostasis impairments in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders and explores how neuronal and synaptic functions may be impacted by disruptions in protein homeostasis. A greater understanding of the contributions by proteostasis impairment in neuropsychiatric disorders will help guide future studies to identify additional candidate proteins and new targets for therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelvin K Hui
- Center for Autophagy Research, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Ryo Endo
- Laboratory for Protein Conformation Diseases, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Akira Sawa
- Department of Psychiatry, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Neuroscience, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Biomedical Engineering, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Genetic Medicine, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Motomasa Tanaka
- Laboratory for Protein Conformation Diseases, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan.
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12
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Vassos E, Kou J, Tosato S, Maxwell J, Dennison CA, Legge SE, Walters JTR, Owen MJ, O’Donovan MC, Breen G, Lewis CM, Sullivan PF, Hultman C, Ruggeri M, Walshe M, Bramon E, Bergen SE, Murray RM. Lack of Support for the Genes by Early Environment Interaction Hypothesis in the Pathogenesis of Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2022; 48:20-26. [PMID: 33987677 PMCID: PMC8781344 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbab052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Ursini et al reported recently that the liability of schizophrenia explained by a polygenic risk score (PRS) derived from the variants most associated with schizophrenia was increased 5-fold in individuals who experienced complications during pregnancy or birth. Follow-up gene expression analysis showed that the genes mapping to the most associated genetic variants are highly expressed in placental tissues. If confirmed, these findings will have major implications in our understanding of the joint effect of genes and environment in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We examined the interplay between PRS and obstetric complications (OCs) in 5 independent samples (effective N = 2110). OCs were assessed with the full or modified Lewis-Murray scale, or with birth weight < 2.5 kg as a proxy. In a large cohort we tested whether the pathways from placenta-relevant variants in the original report were associated with case-control status. Unlike in the original study, we did not find significant effect of PRS on the presence of OCs in cases, nor a substantial difference in the association of PRS with case-control status in samples stratified by the presence of OCs. Furthermore, none of the PRS by OCs interactions were significant, nor were any of the biological pathways, examined in the Swedish cohort. Our study could not support the hypothesis of a mediating effect of placenta biology in the pathway from genes to schizophrenia. Methodology differences, in particular the different scales measuring OCs, as well as power constraints for interaction analyses in both studies, may explain this discrepancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evangelos Vassos
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Jiaqi Kou
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sarah Tosato
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Jessye Maxwell
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Charlotte A Dennison
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Sophie E Legge
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - James T R Walters
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Michael J Owen
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Michael C O’Donovan
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Gerome Breen
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Cathryn M Lewis
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Patrick F Sullivan
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Center for Psychiatric Genomics, Department of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Christina Hultman
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mirella Ruggeri
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Muriel Walshe
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Elvira Bramon
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sarah E Bergen
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Robin M Murray
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
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13
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Li C, Yang T, Ou R, Shang H. Overlapping Genetic Architecture Between Schizophrenia and Neurodegenerative Disorders. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 9:797072. [PMID: 35004692 PMCID: PMC8740133 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.797072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological and clinical studies have suggested comorbidity between schizophrenia and several neurodegenerative disorders. However, little is known whether there exists shared genetic architecture. To explore their relationship from a genetic and transcriptomic perspective, we applied polygenic and linkage disequilibrium-informed methods to examine the genetic correlation between schizophrenia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. We further combined genome-wide association summary statistics with large-scale transcriptomic datasets, to identify putative shared genes and explore related pathological tissues. We identified positive and significant correlation between schizophrenia and ALS at genetic (correlation 0.22; 95% CI: 0.16–0.28; p = 4.00E-04) and transcriptomic (correlation 0.08; 95% CI: 0.04–0.11; p = 0.034) levels. We further demonstrated that schizophrenia- and ALS-inferred gene expression overlap significantly in four tissues including skin, small intestine, brain cortex and lung, and highlighted three genes, namely GLB1L3, ZNHIT3 and TMEM194A as potential mediators of the correlation between schizophrenia and ALS. Our findings revealed overlapped gene expression profiles in specific tissues between schizophrenia and ALS, and identified novel potential shared genes. These results provided a better understanding for the pleiotropy of schizophrenia, and paved way for future studies to further elucidate the molecular drivers of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyu Li
- Department of Neurology, Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Tianmi Yang
- Department of Neurology, Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ruwei Ou
- Department of Neurology, Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Huifang Shang
- Department of Neurology, Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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14
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Brandão-Teles C, Smith BJ, Carregari VC. PTMs: A Missing Piece for Schizophrenia Studies. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1382:119-127. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-05460-0_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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15
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Stȩpień-Wyrobiec O, Nowak M, Wyrobiec G, Morawiec E, Wierzbik-Strońska M, Staszkiewicz R, Grabarek BO. Crossroad between current knowledge and new perspective of diagnostic and therapy of late-onset schizophrenia and very late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis: An update. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1025414. [PMID: 36387009 PMCID: PMC9643586 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1025414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a chronic, highly individualized disease with many symptoms that can occur with varying severity in different patients. Schizophrenia affects 1% of the population, but occurs in almost 20% of patients after 40 years of age. It should be noted that the next peak in the incidence of schizophrenia occurs at the age of 60 years, affects mostly females, and is closely associated with a high risk of developing memory disorders. Therefore, postadolescent schizophrenia includes two distinct groups of patients: those whose symptoms onset at the age of 45 or 60. The purposes of this literature review were as follows: (1) synthetically characterize the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia; (2) discuss difficulties in the diagnosis of schizophrenia, especially in patients over 40 years of age; (3) discuss the clinical utility of different classes of marker in diagnostic and differentiating schizophrenia from neurodegenerative diseases in elderly people; (4) discuss therapeutic options for schizophrenia, pharmacotherapy, and psychotherapy, emphasizing the role of caregivers of people with psychosis in therapy, in preadolescence and postadolescence schizophrenia. We have tried to primarily discuss the findings of original articles from the last 10 years with an indication of their clinical implications with the issues discussed in the various subsections. Moreover, despite many years of research, no specific, precise algorithm has been developed that can be used in clinical practice during the diagnosis of schizophrenia. For this reason, the diagnosis of schizophrenia is primarily based on an interview with the patient and his family, as well as on the experience of a psychiatrist. It also seems that schizophrenia treatment should be carried out holistically, including pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and the support of caregivers of patients who have this psychosis, which increases the achievement of therapeutic success. Finally, we must be aware of the difficulties in diagnosing schizophrenia in the elderly and the need to modify pharmacological treatment. Currently, no guidelines have been developed for the differentiation of negative symptoms in elderly patients with schizophrenia from amotivation/avolition/apathy symptoms in elderly patients with neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Stȩpień-Wyrobiec
- Department of Geriatrics, Faculty of Medicine in Zabrze, Academy of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland.,EMC Hospitals, John Paul II Geriatric Hospital in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - Marta Nowak
- Department of Histology and Cell Pathology, Faculty of Medicine in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Wyrobiec
- Department of Histology and Cell Pathology, Faculty of Medicine in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland
| | - Emilia Morawiec
- Department of Histology, Cytophysiology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine in Zabrze, Academy of Silesia in Katowice, University of Technology, Zabrze, Poland.,Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine in Zabrze, Academy of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland.,Gyncentrum, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Virology, Katowice, Poland
| | | | - Rafał Staszkiewicz
- Department of Histology, Cytophysiology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine in Zabrze, Academy of Silesia in Katowice, University of Technology, Zabrze, Poland.,5th Military Clinical Hospital with Polyclinic - Independent Public Health Care Facility in Krakow, Kraków, Poland
| | - Beniamin Oskar Grabarek
- Department of Histology, Cytophysiology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine in Zabrze, Academy of Silesia in Katowice, University of Technology, Zabrze, Poland.,Gyncentrum, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Virology, Katowice, Poland.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine in Zabrze, Academy of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland
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16
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Peters ME, Roy D, Lyketsos CG. Complimentary Subspecialties: Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry. J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry 2021; 63:107-109. [PMID: 34906722 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaclp.2021.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Durga Roy
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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17
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Grubisha MJ, Sweet RA, MacDonald ML. Investigating Post-translational Modifications in Neuropsychiatric Disease: The Next Frontier in Human Post-mortem Brain Research. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:689495. [PMID: 34335181 PMCID: PMC8322442 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.689495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene expression and translation have been extensively studied in human post-mortem brain tissue from subjects with psychiatric disease. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) have received less attention despite their implication by unbiased genetic studies and importance in regulating neuronal and circuit function. Here we review the rationale for studying PTMs in psychiatric disease, recent findings in human post-mortem tissue, the required controls for these types of studies, and highlight the emerging mass spectrometry approaches transforming this research direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie J. Grubisha
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Robert A. Sweet
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Matthew L. MacDonald
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Biomedical Mass Spectrometry Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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18
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Hertzberg L, Maggio N, Muler I, Yitzhaky A, Majer M, Haroutunian V, Zuk O, Katsel P, Domany E, Weiser M. Comprehensive Gene Expression Analysis Detects Global Reduction of Proteasome Subunits in Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2021; 47:785-795. [PMID: 33141894 PMCID: PMC8084431 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The main challenge in the study of schizophrenia is its high heterogeneity. While it is generally accepted that there exist several biological mechanisms that may define distinct schizophrenia subtypes, they have not been identified yet. We performed comprehensive gene expression analysis to search for molecular signals that differentiate schizophrenia patients from healthy controls and examined whether an identified signal was concentrated in a subgroup of the patients. METHODS Transcriptome sequencing of 14 superior temporal gyrus (STG) samples of subjects with schizophrenia and 15 matched controls from the Stanley Medical Research Institute (SMRI) was performed. Differential expression and pathway enrichment analysis results were compared to an independent cohort. Replicability was tested on 6 additional independent datasets. RESULTS The 2 STG cohorts showed high replicability. Pathway enrichment analysis of the down-regulated genes pointed to proteasome-related pathways. Meta-analysis of differential expression identified down-regulation of 12 of 39 proteasome subunit genes in schizophrenia. The signal of proteasome subunits down-regulation was replicated in 6 additional datasets (overall 8 cohorts with 267 schizophrenia and 266 control samples, from 5 brain regions). The signal was concentrated in a subgroup of patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS We detected global down-regulation of proteasome subunits in a subgroup of patients with schizophrenia. We hypothesize that the down-regulation of proteasome subunits leads to proteasome dysfunction that causes accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins, which has been recently detected in a subgroup of schizophrenia patients. Thus, down-regulation of proteasome subunits might define a biological subtype of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libi Hertzberg
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Shalvata Mental Health Center, Affiliated to the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nicola Maggio
- Department of Neurology, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Inna Muler
- Childhood Leukemia Research Institute and the Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Assif Yitzhaky
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Michael Majer
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Vahram Haroutunian
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
- Department of Psychiatry, James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY
| | - Or Zuk
- Department of Statistics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Pavel Katsel
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Eytan Domany
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Mark Weiser
- Department of Psychiatry, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan and the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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19
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Ou GY, Lin WW, Zhao WJ. Neuregulins in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:662474. [PMID: 33897409 PMCID: PMC8064692 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.662474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are typically characterized by progressive neuronal loss and neurological dysfunctions in the nervous system, affecting both memory and motor functions. Neuregulins (NRGs) belong to the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like family of extracellular ligands and they play an important role in the development, maintenance, and repair of both the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) through the ErbB signaling pathway. They also regulate multiple intercellular signal transduction and participate in a wide range of biological processes, such as differentiation, migration, and myelination. In this review article, we summarized research on the changes and roles of NRGs in neurodegenerative diseases, especially in AD. We elaborated on the structural features of each NRG subtype and roles of NRG/ErbB signaling networks in neurodegenerative diseases. We also discussed the therapeutic potential of NRGs in the symptom remission of neurodegenerative diseases, which may offer hope for advancing related treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guan-yong Ou
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Wen-wen Lin
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Wei-jiang Zhao
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Cell Biology Department, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- *Correspondence: Wei-jiang Zhao
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Glutamatergic hypo-function in the left superior and middle temporal gyri in early schizophrenia: a data-driven three-dimensional proton spectroscopic imaging study. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:1851-1859. [PMID: 32403117 PMCID: PMC7608301 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0707-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) studies have examined glutamatergic abnormalities in schizophrenia, mostly in single voxels. Though the critical brain nodes remain unknown, schizophrenia involves networks with broad abnormalities. Hence, glutamine plus glutamate (Glx) and other metabolites were examined with whole-brain 1H-MRS, in early schizophrenia. Three dimensional 1H-MRS was acquired in young schizophrenia subjects (N = 36, 19 antipsychotic-naïve and 17 antipsychotic-treated) and healthy controls (HC, N = 29). Glx (as well as N-acetylaspartate, choline, myo-inositol and creatine) group contrasts from all individual voxels that met spectral quality, were analyzed in common brain space, followed by cluster-corrected level alpha-value (CCLAV ≤ 0.05). Schizophrenia subjects had lower Glx in the left superior (STG) and middle temporal gyri (16 voxels, CCLAV = 0.04) and increased creatine in two clusters involving left temporal, parietal and occipital regions (32, and 18 voxels, CCLAV = 0.02 and 0.04, respectively). Antipsychotic-treated and naïve patients (vs HC) had similar Glx reductions (8/16 vs 10/16 voxels respectively, but CCLAV's > 0.05). However, creatine was higher in antipsychotic-treated vs HC's in a larger left hemisphere cluster (100 voxels, CCLAV = 0.01). Also in treated patients, choline was increased in left middle frontal gyrus (18 voxels, CCLAV = 0.04). Finally in antipsychotic-naive patients, NAA was reduced in right frontal gyri (19 voxels, CCLAV = 0.05) and myo-inositol was reduced in the left cerebellum (34 voxels, CCLAV = 0.02). We conclude that data-driven spectroscopic brain examination supports that reductions in Glx in the left STG may be critical to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Postmortem and neuromodulation schizophrenia studies focusing on left STG, may provide critical mechanistic and therapeutic advancements, respectively.
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21
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Luza S, Opazo CM, Bousman CA, Pantelis C, Bush AI, Everall IP. The ubiquitin proteasome system and schizophrenia. Lancet Psychiatry 2020; 7:528-537. [PMID: 32061320 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(19)30520-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The ubiquitin-proteasome system is a master regulator of neural development and the maintenance of brain structure and function. It influences neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and neurotransmission by determining the localisation, interaction, and turnover of scaffolding, presynaptic, and postsynaptic proteins. Moreover, ubiquitin-proteasome system signalling transduces epigenetic changes in neurons independently of protein degradation and, as such, dysfunction of components and substrates of this system has been linked to a broad range of brain conditions. Although links between ubiquitin-proteasome system dysfunction and neurodegenerative disorders have been known for some time, only recently have similar links emerged for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schizophrenia. Here, we review the components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system that are reported to be dysregulated in schizophrenia, and discuss specific molecular changes to these components that might, in part, explain the complex causes of this mental disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Luza
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Melbourne Dementia Research Centre, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Carlos M Opazo
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Melbourne Dementia Research Centre, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Chad A Bousman
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia; The Cooperative Research Centre for Mental Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Departments of Medical Genetics, Psychiatry, and Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Melbourne Dementia Research Centre, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Centre for Neural Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia; The Cooperative Research Centre for Mental Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada; NorthWestern Mental Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ashley I Bush
- Melbourne Dementia Research Centre, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
| | - Ian P Everall
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Melbourne Dementia Research Centre, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Centre for Neural Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia; The Cooperative Research Centre for Mental Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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22
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Tomoda T, Yang K, Sawa A. Neuronal Autophagy in Synaptic Functions and Psychiatric Disorders. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:787-796. [PMID: 31542152 PMCID: PMC6986983 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Homeostatic maintenance of physiological functions is fundamental to organismal well-being. Disruption or imbalance in homeostasis results in functional disturbances at molecular, cellular, and tissue levels, leading to manifestation as physical and mental illnesses. Homeostatic imbalance is caused by a range of pathophysiological mechanisms, including disrupted reduction-oxidation reactions, inflammatory responses, metabolic disturbances, or failure in quality control of cellular proteins and organelles. However, the roles for the protein/organelle quality control in the regulation of behaviors, in particular of cognitive processes, had not been well documented, until recent reports finally supported this concept. The frontline studies in neuroscience have revealed that synaptic components (e.g., synaptic proteins, organelles, neurotransmitters and their receptors) are selectively degraded by autophagy, a cellular recycling machinery implicated in surveillance and quality control of proteins and organelles responsible for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Apart from the canonical role of autophagy in supporting cell viability, synaptic autophagy appears to regulate synapse remodeling and plasticity. Consistently, emerging evidence suggests novel roles of autophagy in memory encoding, information processing, or cognitive functions. In this review, we overview recent progress in understanding the roles of neuronal autophagy in homeostatic maintenance of synaptic functions, with particular focus on how disruptions in these processes may contribute to the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshifumi Tomoda
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Kun Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA
| | - Akira Sawa
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
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23
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Mok SWF, Wong VKW, Lo HH, de Seabra Rodrigues Dias IR, Leung ELH, Law BYK, Liu L. Natural products-based polypharmacological modulation of the peripheral immune system for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. Pharmacol Ther 2020; 208:107480. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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24
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Zhou X, Wang X, Li R, Yan J, Xiao Y, Li W, Shen H. Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Is Independently Associated With Severe Psychopathology in Schizophrenia and Is Changed by Antipsychotic Administration: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Retrospective Study. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:581061. [PMID: 33192726 PMCID: PMC7661461 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.581061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Immunological and inflammatory mechanisms play an important role in schizophrenia. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a value obtained by dividing the absolute number of neutrophils by the absolute lymphocyte count and represents a biomarker of systemic inflammatory response. There are studies investigating NLR association with psychopathology. However, the relationship has been only studied in small numbers of patients with schizophrenia, which leads to conflicting results and makes the meta-analytic data difficult to interpret. The aim of this study is to perform large-scale cross-sectional analysis on the potential correlation between NLR and disease severity in schizophrenic patients with or without medication. Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted in Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Brain Hospital. We identified inpatients with schizophrenia between July 12, 2018 and March 27, 2019 and collected data of NLR, the Clinical Global Impression Severity scale (CGI-S) score and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) score. Results: The records of 1,144 identified patients (10.8% drug-free patients) were analyzed. We found that NLR was significantly decreased in schizophrenic patients after antipsychotic administration and there was the discrepant correlation between NLR and psychiatric symptoms in patients with or without antipsychotic medication. The results of multivariate logistic regressions showed that NLR was positively associated with the severity of disease (i.e., the CGI-S score and the BPRS total score) in drug-free patients, and it was negatively associated with the BPRS negative symptoms (i.e., the BPRS negative symptoms score) in drug-therapy patients. Conclusion: The study is the first to confirm the hypothesis that NLR is independently associated with severe psychopathology in schizophrenia and is changed by antipsychotic administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Zhou
- Neuro-Psychiatric Institute, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Brain Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaolan Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Brain Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Rui Li
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jun Yan
- Department of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Brain Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Ying Xiao
- College of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Weiguang Li
- College of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hong Shen
- Neuro-Psychiatric Institute, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Brain Hospital, Nanjing, China
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25
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Ross CA, Margolis RL. Research Domain Criteria: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Potential Alternatives for Future Psychiatric Research. MOLECULAR NEUROPSYCHIATRY 2019; 5:218-236. [PMID: 31768375 DOI: 10.1159/000501797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) paradigm was launched 10 years ago as a superior approach for investigation of mental illness. RDoC conceptualizes normal human behavior, emotion, and cognition as dimensional, with mental illnesses as dimensional extremes. We suggest that RDoC may have value for understanding normal human psychology and some conditions plausibly construed as extremes of normal variation. By contrast, for the most serious of mental illnesses, including dementia, autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, we argue that RDoC is conceptually flawed. RDoC conflates variation along dimensional axes of normal function with quantitative measurements of disease phenotypes and with the occurrence of diseases in overlapping clusters or spectra. This moves away from the disease model of major mental illness. Further, RDoC imposes a top-down approach to research. We argue that progress in major mental illness research will be more rapid with a bottom-up approach, starting with the discovery of etiological factors, proceeding to investigation of pathogenic pathways, including use of cell and animal models, and leading to a refined nosology and novel, targeted treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Ross
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Russell L Margolis
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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