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de Jonge JC, Vinkers CH, Hulshoff Pol HE, Marsman A. GABAergic Mechanisms in Schizophrenia: Linking Postmortem and In Vivo Studies. Front Psychiatry 2017; 8:118. [PMID: 28848455 PMCID: PMC5554536 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and impairments in cognitive functioning. Evidence from postmortem studies suggests that alterations in cortical γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) neurons contribute to the clinical features of schizophrenia. In vivo measurement of brain GABA levels using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) offers the possibility to provide more insight into the relationship between problems in GABAergic neurotransmission and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia patients. This study reviews and links alterations in the GABA system in postmortem studies, animal models, and human studies in schizophrenia. Converging evidence implicates alterations in both presynaptic and postsynaptic components of GABAergic neurotransmission in schizophrenia, and GABA may thus play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. MRS studies can provide direct insight into the GABAergic mechanisms underlying the development of schizophrenia as well as changes during its course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen C de Jonge
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Christiaan H Vinkers
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Hilleke E Hulshoff Pol
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Anouk Marsman
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
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Ota VK, Noto C, Gadelha A, Santoro ML, Ortiz BB, Andrade EH, Tasso BC, Spindola LMN, Silva PN, Abílio VC, Smith MDAC, Sato JR, Brietzke E, Cordeiro Q, Bressan RA, Belangero SI. Evaluation of neurotransmitter receptor gene expression identifies GABA receptor changes: a follow-up study in antipsychotic-naïve patients with first-episode psychosis. J Psychiatr Res 2014; 56:130-6. [PMID: 24935901 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2014] [Revised: 04/29/2014] [Accepted: 05/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
A study of the gene expression levels in the blood of individuals with schizophrenia in the beginning of the disease, such as first-episode psychosis (FEP), is useful to detect gene expression changes in this disorder in response to treatment. Although a large number of genetic studies on schizophrenia have been conducted, little is known about the effects of antipsychotic treatment on gene expression. The aim of the present study was to examine differences in the gene expression in the blood of antipsychotic-naïve FEP patients before and after risperidone treatment (N = 44) and also to verify the correlation with treatment response. In addition, we determined the correlations between differentially expressed genes and clinical variables. The expression of 40 neurotransmitter and neurodevelopment-associated genes was assessed using the RT2 Profiler PCR Array. The results indicated that the GABRR2 gene was downregulated after risperidone treatment, but no genes were associated with response to treatment and clinical variables after Bonferroni correction. GABRR2 downregulation after treatment can both suggest an effect of risperidone treatment or processes related to disease progression, either not necessarily associated with the improvement of symptoms. Despite this change was observed in blood, this decrease in GABRR2 mRNA levels might be an effect of changes in GABA concentrations or other systems interplay consequently to D2 blockage induced by risperidone, for example. Thus, it is important to consider that antipsychotics or the progression of psychotic disorders might interfere with gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Kiyomi Ota
- Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Botucatu, 740, Edifício Leitao da Cunha, 1° andar, CEP 04023-900, São Paulo, Brazil; LiNC - Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 3° andar fundos, CEP 05039-032, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Cristiano Noto
- LiNC - Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 3° andar fundos, CEP 05039-032, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Psychiatry, Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo (ISCMSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Ary Gadelha
- LiNC - Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 3° andar fundos, CEP 05039-032, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Marcos Leite Santoro
- Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Botucatu, 740, Edifício Leitao da Cunha, 1° andar, CEP 04023-900, São Paulo, Brazil; LiNC - Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 3° andar fundos, CEP 05039-032, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Bruno Bertolucci Ortiz
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Elvis Henrique Andrade
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Brazilio Carvalho Tasso
- Department of Psychiatry, Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo (ISCMSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Leticia Maria Nery Spindola
- Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Botucatu, 740, Edifício Leitao da Cunha, 1° andar, CEP 04023-900, São Paulo, Brazil; LiNC - Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 3° andar fundos, CEP 05039-032, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Patricia Natalia Silva
- Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Botucatu, 740, Edifício Leitao da Cunha, 1° andar, CEP 04023-900, São Paulo, Brazil; LiNC - Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 3° andar fundos, CEP 05039-032, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Vanessa Costhek Abílio
- LiNC - Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 3° andar fundos, CEP 05039-032, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Marília de Arruda Cardoso Smith
- Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Botucatu, 740, Edifício Leitao da Cunha, 1° andar, CEP 04023-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - João Ricardo Sato
- LiNC - Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 3° andar fundos, CEP 05039-032, São Paulo, Brazil; Center of Mathematics, Computation and Cognition, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo Andre, Brazil.
| | - Elisa Brietzke
- LiNC - Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 3° andar fundos, CEP 05039-032, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Quirino Cordeiro
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Psychiatry, Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo (ISCMSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Rodrigo Affonseca Bressan
- LiNC - Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 3° andar fundos, CEP 05039-032, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Sintia Iole Belangero
- Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Botucatu, 740, Edifício Leitao da Cunha, 1° andar, CEP 04023-900, São Paulo, Brazil; LiNC - Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 3° andar fundos, CEP 05039-032, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
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Peselmann N, Schmitt A, Gebicke-Haerter PJ, Zink M. Aripiprazole differentially regulates the expression of Gad67 and γ-aminobutyric acid transporters in rat brain. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2013; 263:285-97. [PMID: 22968646 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-012-0367-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2012] [Accepted: 08/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The molecular etiology of schizophrenia comprises abnormal neurotransmission of the amino acid GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid). Neuropathological studies convincingly revealed reduced expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase (Gad67) in GABAergic interneurons. Several antipsychotics influence the expression of GABAergic genes, but aripiprazole (APZ), a partial dopaminergic and serotonergic receptor agonist, has not been involved into these studies so far. We treated Sprague-Dawley rats for 4 weeks or 4 months with APZ suspended in drinking water and doses of 10 and 40 mg per kg body weight. Gene expression of Gad67, the vesicular GABA transporter Slc32a1 (solute carrier family, Vgat), the transmembrane transporters Slc6a1 (Gat1) and Slc6a11 (Gat3) was assessed by semiquantitative radioactive in situ hybridization. APZ treatment resulted in time- and dose-dependent effects with qualitative differences between brain regions. In the 10-mg group, Slc6a1 was strongly induced after 4 weeks in the hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebral cortex, followed by an induction of Gad67 in the same regions after 4 months, while frontocortical regions as well as basal ganglia showed dose-dependent reductions of Gad67 expression after 4 months. In several frontocortical and subcortical regions, we observed a decrease of Slc32a1 and an increase of Slc6a11 expression. In conclusion, APZ modulates gene expression of GABAergic marker genes involved into pathogenetic theories of schizophrenia. APZ only partially mirrors the effects of other antipsychotics with some important differences regarding brain regions. The findings might be explained by regulatory connections between serotonergic, GABAergic, and dopaminergic neurotransmission and should be validated in behavioral animal models of psychotic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Peselmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
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Tayoshi S, Nakataki M, Sumitani S, Taniguchi K, Shibuya-Tayoshi S, Numata S, Iga JI, Ueno SI, Harada M, Ohmori T. GABA concentration in schizophrenia patients and the effects of antipsychotic medication: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. Schizophr Res 2010; 117:83-91. [PMID: 20022731 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2009.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2008] [Revised: 11/18/2009] [Accepted: 11/21/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) is thought to play a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. High magnetic field proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) provides a reliable measurement of GABA in specific regions of the brain. This study measured GABA concentration in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and in the left basal ganglia (ltBG) in 38 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 29 healthy control subjects. There was no significant difference in GABA concentration between the schizophrenia patients and the healthy controls in either the ACC (1.36+/-0.45 mmol/l in schizophrenia patients and 1.52+/-0.54 mmol/l in control subjects) or the ltBG (1.13+/-0.26 mmol/l in schizophrenia patients and 1.18+/-0.20 mmol/l in control subjects). Among the right handed schizophrenia patients, the GABA concentration in the ltBG was significantly higher in patients taking typical antipsychotics (1.25+/-0.24 mmol/l) than in those taking atypical antipsychotics (1.03+/-0.24 mmol/l, p=0.026). In the ACC, the GABA concentration was negatively correlated with the dose of the antipsychotics (rs=-0.347, p=0.035). In the ltBG, the GABA concentration was positively correlated with the dose of the anticholinergics (rs=0.403, p=0.015). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to have directly measured GABA concentrations in schizophrenia patients using (1)H-MRS. Our results suggest that there are no differences in GABA concentrations in the ACC or the ltBG of schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls. Antipsychotic medication may cause changes in GABA concentration, and atypical and typical antipsychotics may have differing effects. It is possible that medication effects conceal inherent differences in GABA concentrations between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin'Ya Tayoshi
- Department of Psychiatry, Course of Integrated Brain Sciences, Medical Informatics, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Japan
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Abstract
Recent advances in molecular biology have provided pharmacologists the opportunity of developing an entirely new type of agent for studying and treating a variety of biological disorders. These agents, termed antisense oligodeoxynucleotides, have as their target the messenger RNAs encoding specific proteins. They act by binding to selected portions of these mRNAs through complimentary interactions and thereby prevent the synthesis of these proteins. These novel pharmacological tools have the promise of being easier to design and being more selective and predictable in their actions. In addition, insofar as agents targeted to receptors for neurotransmitters are concerned, unlike the classical pharmacological agents, these new compounds may not lead to the upregulation of the very receptors the drugs are designed to inhibit. The present review summarizes briefly studies on the effect of oligodeoxynucleotides antisense to the mRNAs encoding the various subtypes of the dopamine receptor. The studies show that oligodeoxynucleotides antisense to the D2 dopamine receptor when intracerebroventricularly into brains of rodents are rapidly taken up into the brain tissue, distributed to brain cells, and produce effects characteristic of highly selective D2 dopamine antagonists. The compounds also produced specific reductions in the levels of D2 dopamine receptor mRNA and D2 dopamine receptors. Similarly, injecting an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide targeted to the D1 dopamine receptor mRNA produces effects characteristic of D1 dopamine receptor antagonists. Other studies using these agents has produced evidence that there is a small pool of receptors that turn over very rapidly and which constitute the functional pool of these receptors. The evidence suggests further that antisense oligodeoxynucleotides inhibit the synthesis of this small functional pool of dopamine receptors, thereby providing an explanation of why there is often a discordance between changes in dopaminergic function and changes in the levels of dopamine receptors. Studies of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides targeted to the other subtypes of dopamine receptor may help reveal the biological roles that these and other newly discovered subtypes of neurotransmitter receptors have. They may also provide an entirely new and potentially more selective therapeutic regimen for altering the functions of these receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Weiss
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical College of Pennsylvania & Hahnemann University, Philadelphia 19129, USA
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Qin ZH, Zhang SP, Weiss B. Dopaminergic and glutamatergic blocking drugs differentially regulate glutamic acid decarboxylase mRNA in mouse brain. BRAIN RESEARCH. MOLECULAR BRAIN RESEARCH 1994; 21:293-302. [PMID: 8170353 DOI: 10.1016/0169-328x(94)90260-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Dopaminergic and glutamatergic inputs play an important role in regulating the activity of GABAergic neurons in basal ganglia. To understand more fully the biochemical interactions between these neurotransmitter systems, the effects of blocking dopamine and glutamate (N-methyl-D-aspartate) (NMDA) receptors on the expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) mRNA were examined. Persistent blockade of dopamine receptors was achieved by daily injections of EEDQ, a relatively non-selective irreversible D1 and D2 dopamine receptor antagonist, or FNM, a relatively selective irreversible D2 dopamine receptor antagonist. Persistent blockade of NMDA receptors was achieved by continuously infusing dizocilpine (MK-801), a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist. The levels of GAD mRNA in mouse brain were measured by in situ hybridization histochemistry following treatment with these agents. Repeated administration of EEDQ increased the levels of GAD mRNA in corpus striatum and frontal and parietal cortex; the first significant effects were seen after 4 days of treatment. Treatment with FNM elicited effects similar to those produced by EEDQ, except FNM also significantly increased GAD mRNA in nucleus accumbens. Neither EEDQ nor FNM produced significant effects on GAD mRNA in olfactory tubercle or septum. Infusion of MK-801 produced a rapid and marked decrease in the levels of GAD mRNA in corpus striatum, nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle, septum and frontal and parietal cortex; significant changes were seen as early as 2 days of treatment. No significant effects were seen in globus pallidus. Cellular analysis of emulsion autoradiograms from corpus striatum revealed that MK-801 reduced the amount of GAD mRNA in individual cells as well as the proportion of cells expressing high levels of GAD mRNA. These results suggest that dopamine, though its interaction with D2 dopamine receptors, exerts an inhibitory effect on the expression of GAD mRNA, and that glutamate, though its interaction with NMDA receptors, exerts a stimulatory effect on GAD mRNA expression. They show further that the regulation of gene expression by dopamine receptors or NMDA receptors is different in different regions of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z H Qin
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, Philadelphia 19129
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