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Chauveau F, Winkeler A, Chalon S, Boutin H, Becker G. PET imaging of neuroinflammation: any credible alternatives to TSPO yet? Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02656-9. [PMID: 38997465 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02656-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Over the last decades, the role of neuroinflammation in neuropsychiatric conditions has attracted an exponentially growing interest. A key driver for this trend was the ability to image brain inflammation in vivo using PET radioligands targeting the Translocator Protein 18 kDa (TSPO), which is known to be expressed in activated microglia and astrocytes upon inflammatory events as well as constitutively in endothelial cells. TSPO is a mitochondrial protein that is expressed mostly by microglial cells upon activation but is also expressed by astrocytes in some conditions and constitutively by endothelial cells. Therefore, our current understanding of neuroinflammation dynamics is hampered by the lack of alternative targets available for PET imaging. We performed a systematic search and review on radiotracers developed for neuroinflammation PET imaging apart from TSPO. The following targets of interest were identified through literature screening (including previous narrative reviews): P2Y12R, P2X7R, CSF1R, COX (microglial targets), MAO-B, I2BS (astrocytic targets), CB2R & S1PRs (not specific of a single cell type). We determined the level of development and provided a scoping review for each target. Strikingly, astrocytic biomarker MAO-B has progressed in clinical investigations the furthest, while few radiotracers (notably targeting S1P1Rs, CSF1R) are being implemented in clinical investigations. Other targets such as CB2R and P2X7R have proven disappointing in clinical studies (e.g. poor signal, lack of changes in disease conditions, etc.). While astrocytic targets are promising, development of new biomarkers and tracers specific for microglial activation has proven challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Chauveau
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Inserm U1028, CNRS UMR5292, BIORAN, Groupement Hospitalier Est - CERMEP, 59 boulevard Pinel, 69677, Bron, Cedex, France
| | - Alexandra Winkeler
- Université Paris-Saclay, Inserm, CNRS, CEA, BioMaps, Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot, 4 place du général Leclerc, 91401, Orsay, France
| | - Sylvie Chalon
- UMR 1253 iBrain, Université de Tours - INSERM, Bâtiment Planiol, UFR de Médecine, 10 Boulevard Tonnellé, 37032, Tours, Cedex 01, France
| | - Hervé Boutin
- UMR 1253 iBrain, Université de Tours - INSERM, Bâtiment Planiol, UFR de Médecine, 10 Boulevard Tonnellé, 37032, Tours, Cedex 01, France.
| | - Guillaume Becker
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Inserm U1028, CNRS UMR5292, BIORAN, Groupement Hospitalier Est - CERMEP, 59 boulevard Pinel, 69677, Bron, Cedex, France
- Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l'Alimentation, de l'Environnement et du Travail, 14 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 94701, Maisons-Alfort, Cedex, France
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Yu HL, Liu X, Yin Y, Liu XN, Feng YY, Tahir MM, Miao XZ, He XX, He ZX, Zhu XJ. Netrin-1 Is an Important Mediator in Microglia Migration. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7079. [PMID: 39000184 PMCID: PMC11241722 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Microglia migrate to the cerebral cortex during early embryonic stages. However, the precise mechanisms underlying microglia migration remain incompletely understood. As an extracellular matrix protein, Netrin-1 is involved in modulating the motility of diverse cells. In this paper, we found that Netrin-1 promoted microglial BV2 cell migration in vitro. Mechanism studies indicated that the activation of GSK3β activity contributed to Netrin-1-mediated microglia migration. Furthermore, Integrin α6/β1 might be the relevant receptor. Single-cell data analysis revealed the higher expression of Integrin α6 subunit and β1 subunit in microglia in comparison with classical receptors, including Dcc, Neo1, Unc5a, Unc5b, Unc5c, Unc5d, and Dscam. Microscale thermophoresis (MST) measurement confirmed the high binding affinity between Integrin α6/β1 and Netrin-1. Importantly, activation of Integrin α6/β1 with IKVAV peptides mirrored the microglia migration and GSK3 activation induced by Netrin-1. Finally, conditional knockout (CKO) of Netrin-1 in radial glial cells and their progeny led to a reduction in microglia population in the cerebral cortex at early developmental stages. Together, our findings highlight the role of Netrin-1 in microglia migration and underscore its therapeutic potential in microglia-related brain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Xiao-Juan Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics, Ministry of Education and Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; (H.-L.Y.); (X.L.); (Y.Y.); (X.-N.L.); (Y.-Y.F.); (M.M.T.); (X.-Z.M.); (X.-X.H.); (Z.-X.H.)
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Nisha Aji K, Cisbani G, Weidenauer A, Koppel A, Hafizi S, Da Silva T, Kiang M, Rusjan PM, Bazinet RP, Mizrahi R. Neurofilament light-chain (NfL) and 18 kDa translocator protein in early psychosis and its putative high-risk. Brain Behav Immun Health 2024; 37:100742. [PMID: 38495956 PMCID: PMC10940889 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Evidence of elevated peripheral Neurofilament light-chain (NfL) as a biomarker of neuronal injury can be utilized to reveal nonspecific axonal damage, which could reflect altered neuroimmune function. To date, only a few studies have investigated NfL as a fluid biomarker in schizophrenia primarily, though none in its putative prodrome (Clinical High-Risk, CHR) or in untreated first-episode psychosis (FEP). Further, it is unknown whether peripheral NfL is associated with 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO), a validated neuroimmune marker. In this secondary study, we investigated for the first time (1) serum NfL in early stages of psychosis including CHR and FEP as compared to healthy controls, and (2) examined its association with brain TSPO, using [18F]FEPPA positron emission tomography (PET). Further, in the exploratory analyses, we aimed to assess associations between serum NfL and symptom severity in patient group and cognitive impairment in the combined cohort. A large cohort of 84 participants including 27 FEP (24 antipsychotic-naive), 41 CHR (34 antipsychotic-naive) and 16 healthy controls underwent structural brain MRI and [18F]FEPPA PET scan and their blood samples were obtained and assessed for serum NfL concentrations. We found no significant differences in serum NfL levels across clinical groups, controlling for age. We also found no significant association between NfL levels and brain TSPO in the entire cohort. We observed a negative association between serum NfL and negative symptom severity in CHR. Our findings suggest that neither active neuroaxonal deterioration as measured with NfL nor associated neuroimmune activation (TSPO) is clearly identifiable in an early mostly untreated psychosis sample including its putative high-risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kankana Nisha Aji
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Douglas Research Centre, Clinical and Translational Sciences Lab, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Giulia Cisbani
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ana Weidenauer
- Division of General Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Comprehensive Center for Clinical Neurosciences and Mental Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alex Koppel
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sina Hafizi
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tania Da Silva
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Kiang
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pablo M. Rusjan
- Douglas Research Centre, Clinical and Translational Sciences Lab, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Richard P. Bazinet
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Romina Mizrahi
- Douglas Research Centre, Clinical and Translational Sciences Lab, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Hartmann SM, Heider J, Wüst R, Fallgatter AJ, Volkmer H. Microglia-neuron interactions in schizophrenia. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1345349. [PMID: 38510107 PMCID: PMC10950997 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1345349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Multiple lines of evidence implicate increased neuroinflammation mediated by glial cells to play a key role in neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia. Microglia, which are the primary innate immune cells of the brain, are crucial for the refinement of the synaptic circuitry during early brain development by synaptic pruning and the regulation of synaptic plasticity during adulthood. Schizophrenia risk factors as genetics or environmental influences may further be linked to increased activation of microglia, an increase of pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and activation of the inflammasome resulting in an overall elevated neuroinflammatory state in patients. Synaptic loss, one of the central pathological hallmarks of schizophrenia, is believed to be due to excess removal of synapses by activated microglia, primarily affecting glutamatergic neurons. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate microglia-neuron interactions, which has been done by multiple studies focusing on post-mortem brain tissues, brain imaging, animal models and patient iPSC-derived 2D culture systems. In this review, we summarize the major findings in patients and in vivo and in vitro models in the context of neuron-microglia interactions in schizophrenia and secondly discuss the potential of anti-inflammatory treatments for the alleviation of positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia-Marie Hartmann
- Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Pharma and Biotech, NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Johanna Heider
- Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Pharma and Biotech, NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Richard Wüst
- Department of Psychiatry, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J. Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hansjürgen Volkmer
- Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Pharma and Biotech, NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany
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De Picker LJ, Morrens M, Branchi I, Haarman BCM, Terada T, Kang MS, Boche D, Tremblay ME, Leroy C, Bottlaender M, Ottoy J. TSPO PET brain inflammation imaging: A transdiagnostic systematic review and meta-analysis of 156 case-control studies. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 113:415-431. [PMID: 37543251 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) is increasingly recognized as a molecular target for PET imaging of inflammatory responses in various central nervous system (CNS) disorders. However, the reported sensitivity and specificity of TSPO PET to identify brain inflammatory processes appears to vary greatly across disorders, disease stages, and applied quantification methods. To advance TSPO PET as a potential biomarker to evaluate brain inflammation and anti-inflammatory therapies, a better understanding of its applicability across disorders is needed. We conducted a transdiagnostic systematic review and meta-analysis of all in vivo human TSPO PET imaging case-control studies in the CNS. Specifically, we investigated the direction, strength, and heterogeneity associated with the TSPO PET signal across disorders in pre-specified brain regions, and explored the demographic and methodological sources of heterogeneity. METHODS We searched for English peer-reviewed articles that reported in vivo human case-control TSPO PET differences. We extracted the demographic details, TSPO PET outcomes, and technical variables of the PET procedure. A random-effects meta-analysis was applied to estimate case-control standardized mean differences (SMD) of the TSPO PET signal in the lobar/whole-brain cortical grey matter (cGM), thalamus, and cortico-limbic circuitry between different illness categories. Heterogeneity was evaluated with the I2 statistic and explored using subgroup and meta-regression analyses for radioligand generation, PET quantification method, age, sex, and publication year. Significance was set at the False Discovery Rate (FDR)-corrected P < 0.05. RESULTS 156 individual case-control studies were included in the systematic review, incorporating data for 2381 healthy controls and 2626 patients. 139 studies documented meta-analysable data and were grouped into 11 illness categories. Across all the illness categories, we observed a significantly higher TSPO PET signal in cases compared to controls for the cGM (n = 121 studies, SMD = 0.358, PFDR < 0.001, I2 = 68%), with a significant difference between the illness categories (P = 0.004). cGM increases were only significant for Alzheimer's disease (SMD = 0.693, PFDR < 0.001, I2 = 64%) and other neurodegenerative disorders (SMD = 0.929, PFDR < 0.001, I2 = 73%). Cortico-limbic increases (n = 97 studies, SMD = 0.541, P < 0.001, I2 = 67%) were most prominent for Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, other neurodegenerative disorders, mood disorders and multiple sclerosis. Thalamic involvement (n = 79 studies, SMD = 0.393, P < 0.001, I2 = 71%) was observed for Alzheimer's disease, other neurodegenerative disorders, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain and functional disorders (all PFDR < 0.05). Main outcomes for systemic immunological disorders, viral infections, substance use disorders, schizophrenia and traumatic brain injury were not significant. We identified multiple sources of between-study variance to the TSPO PET signal including a strong transdiagnostic effect of the quantification method (explaining 25% of between-study variance; VT-based SMD = 0.000 versus reference tissue-based studies SMD = 0.630; F = 20.49, df = 1;103, P < 0.001), patient age (9% of variance), and radioligand generation (5% of variance). CONCLUSION This study is the first overarching transdiagnostic meta-analysis of case-control TSPO PET findings in humans across several brain regions. We observed robust increases in the TSPO signal for specific types of disorders, which were widespread or focal depending on illness category. We also found a large and transdiagnostic horizontal (positive) shift of the effect estimates of reference tissue-based compared to VT-based studies. Our results can support future studies to optimize experimental design and power calculations, by taking into account the type of disorder, brain region-of-interest, radioligand, and quantification method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia J De Picker
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Scientific Initiative of Neuropsychiatric and Psychopharmacological Studies (SINAPS), University Psychiatric Centre Campus Duffel, Duffel, Belgium.
| | - Manuel Morrens
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Scientific Initiative of Neuropsychiatric and Psychopharmacological Studies (SINAPS), University Psychiatric Centre Campus Duffel, Duffel, Belgium
| | - Igor Branchi
- Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy
| | - Bartholomeus C M Haarman
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tatsuhiro Terada
- Department of Biofunctional Imaging, Preeminent Medical Photonics Education & Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan
| | - Min Su Kang
- LC Campbell Cognitive Neurology Unit, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Delphine Boche
- Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical and Experimental Sciences School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK
| | - Marie-Eve Tremblay
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada; Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technology (CAMTEC), University of Victoria, BC, Canada; Neurology and Neurosurgery Department, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Claire Leroy
- Université Paris-Saclay, Inserm, CNRS, CEA, Laboratoire d'Imagerie Biomédicale Multimodale Paris-Saclay (BioMaps), Orsay, France
| | - Michel Bottlaender
- Université Paris-Saclay, Inserm, CNRS, CEA, Laboratoire d'Imagerie Biomédicale Multimodale Paris-Saclay (BioMaps), Orsay, France; Université Paris-Saclay, UNIACT, Neurospin, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Julie Ottoy
- LC Campbell Cognitive Neurology Unit, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Nisha Aji K, Hafizi S, Da Silva T, Kiang M, Rusjan PM, Weickert CS, Mizrahi R. Interaction between peripheral and central immune markers in clinical high risk for psychosis. Brain Behav Immun Health 2023; 30:100636. [PMID: 37293440 PMCID: PMC10244662 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammatory events prior to the diagnosis of schizophrenia may play a role in transition to illness. To date only one in-vivo study has investigated this association between peripheral proinflammatory cytokines and brain markers of inflammation (e.g., mitochondrial 18 kDa translocator protein, TSPO) in schizophrenia, but none in its putative prodrome. In this study, we primarily aimed to (Barron et al., 2017) test study group (clinical high-risk (CHR) and healthy controls) differences in peripheral inflammatory markers and test for any associations with symptom measures, (Hafizi et al., 2017a) investigate the interaction between brain TSPO levels (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and hippocampus) and peripheral inflammatory clusters (entire cohort and (CHR) group independently) within a relatively large group of individuals at CHR for psychosis (N = 38) and healthy controls (N = 20). Participants underwent structural brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and TSPO [18F]FEPPA positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Serum samples were assessed for peripheral inflammatory markers (i.e., CRP and interleukins). For exploratory analysis, we aimed to examine cluster differences for symptom measures and identify independent peripheral predictors of brain TSPO expression. Here, we report increased IL-8 levels that are positively correlated with prodromal general symptom severity and showed trend-level association with apathy in CHR. We identified distinct inflammatory clusters characterized by inflammatory markers (IL-1 β, IL-2, IFN-γ) that were comparable between entire cohort and CHR. TSPO levels did not differ between inflammatory clusters (entire cohort or CHR). Finally, we show that CRP, IL-1 β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ levels were the independent peripheral predictors of brain TSPO expression. Thus, alterations in brain TSPO expression in response to inflammatory processes are not evident in CHR. Taken together, clustering by inflammatory status is a promising strategy to characterize the interaction between brain TSPO and peripheral markers of inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kankana Nisha Aji
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Douglas Research Centre, Clinical and Translational Sciences Lab, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sina Hafizi
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Tania Da Silva
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Kiang
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pablo M. Rusjan
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Douglas Research Centre, Clinical and Translational Sciences Lab, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Romina Mizrahi
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Douglas Research Centre, Clinical and Translational Sciences Lab, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Mawson ER, Morris BJ. A consideration of the increased risk of schizophrenia due to prenatal maternal stress, and the possible role of microglia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 125:110773. [PMID: 37116354 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is caused by interaction of a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Of the latter, prenatal exposure to maternal stress is reportedly associated with elevated disease risk. The main orchestrators of inflammatory processes within the brain are microglia, and aberrant microglial activation/function has been proposed to contribute to the aetiology of schizophrenia. Here, we evaluate the epidemiological and preclinical evidence connecting prenatal stress to schizophrenia risk, and consider the possible mediating role of microglia in the prenatal stress-schizophrenia relationship. Epidemiological findings are rather consistent in supporting the association, albeit they are mitigated by effects of sex and gestational timing, while the evidence for microglial activation is more variable. Rodent models of prenatal stress generally report lasting effects on offspring neurobiology. However, many uncertainties remain as to the mechanisms underlying the influence of maternal stress on the developing foetal brain. Future studies should aim to characterise the exact processes mediating this aspect of schizophrenia risk, as well as focussing on how prenatal stress may interact with other risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor R Mawson
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Brian J Morris
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
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Raval NR, Wetherill RR, Wiers CE, Dubroff JG, Hillmer AT. Positron Emission Tomography of Neuroimmune Responses in Humans: Insights and Intricacies. Semin Nucl Med 2023; 53:213-229. [PMID: 36270830 PMCID: PMC11261531 DOI: 10.1053/j.semnuclmed.2022.08.008] [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: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The brain's immune system plays a critical role in responding to immune challenges and maintaining homeostasis. However, dysregulated neuroimmune function contributes to neurodegenerative disease and neuropsychiatric conditions. In vivo positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the neuroimmune system has facilitated a greater understanding of its physiology and the pathology of some neuropsychiatric conditions. This review presents an in-depth look at PET findings from human neuroimmune function studies, highlighting their importance in current neuropsychiatric research. Although the majority of human PET studies feature radiotracers targeting the translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO), this review also considers studies with other neuroimmune targets, including monoamine oxidase B, cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2, nitric oxide synthase, and the purinergic P2X7 receptor. Promising new targets, such as colony-stimulating factor 1, Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1, and the purinergic P2Y12 receptor, are also discussed. The significance of validating neuroimmune targets and understanding their function and expression is emphasized in this review to better identify and interpret PET results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nakul R Raval
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Yale PET Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | - Reagan R Wetherill
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Corinde E Wiers
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Jacob G Dubroff
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Ansel T Hillmer
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Yale PET Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
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Royse SK, Lopresti BJ, Mathis CA, Tollefson S, Narendran R. Beyond monoamines: II. Novel applications for PET imaging in psychiatric disorders. J Neurochem 2023; 164:401-443. [PMID: 35716057 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Early applications of positron emission tomography (PET) in psychiatry sought to identify derangements of cerebral blood flow and metabolism. The need for more specific neurochemical imaging probes was soon evident, and these probes initially targeted the sites of action of neuroleptic (dopamine D2 receptors) and psychoactive (serotonin receptors) drugs. For nearly 30 years, the centrality of monoamine dysfunction in psychiatric disorders drove the development of an armamentarium of monoaminergic PET radiopharmaceuticals and imaging methodologies. However, continued investments in monoamine-enhancing drug development realized only modest gains in efficacy and tolerability. As patent protection for many widely prescribed and profitable psychiatric drugs lapsed, drug development pipelines shifted away from monoamines in search of novel targets with the promises of improved efficacy, or abandoned altogether. Over this period, PET radiopharmaceutical development activities closely parallelled drug development priorities, resulting in the development of new PET imaging agents for non-monoamine targets. In part two of this review, we survey clinical research studies using the novel targets and radiotracers described in part one across major psychiatric application areas such as substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. Important limitations of the studies described are discussed, as well as key methodologic issues, challenges to the field, and the status of clinical trials seeking to exploit these targets for novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Royse
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Brian J Lopresti
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Chester A Mathis
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Savannah Tollefson
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rajesh Narendran
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Rodrigues-Neves AC, Ambrósio AF, Gomes CA. Microglia sequelae: brain signature of innate immunity in schizophrenia. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:493. [PMID: 36443303 PMCID: PMC9705537 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02197-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder with significant impact on individuals and society. The current pharmacologic treatment, which principally alleviates psychosis, is focused on neurotransmitters modulation, relying on drugs with severe side effects and ineffectiveness in a significant percentage of cases. Therefore, and due to difficulties inherent to diagnosis and treatment, it is vital to reassess alternative cellular and molecular drug targets. Distinct risk factors - genetic, developmental, epigenetic, and environmental - have been associated with disease onset and progression, giving rise to the proposal of different pathophysiological mechanisms and putative pharmacological targets. Immunity is involved and, particularly microglia - innate immune cells of the central nervous system, critically involved in brain development - have captured attention as cellular players. Microglia undergo marked morphologic and functional alterations in the human disease, as well as in animal models of schizophrenia, as reported in several original papers. We cluster the main findings of clinical studies by groups of patients: (1) at ultra-high risk of psychosis, (2) with a first episode of psychosis or recent-onset schizophrenia, and (3) with chronic schizophrenia; in translational studies, we highlight the time window of appearance of particular microglia alterations in the most well studied animal model in the field (maternal immune activation). The organization of clinical and translational findings based on schizophrenia-associated microglia changes in different phases of the disease course may help defining a temporal pattern of microglia changes and may drive the design of novel therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Catarina Rodrigues-Neves
- grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Univ Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra, Portugal ,grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Univ Coimbra, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), Coimbra, Portugal ,grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Coimbra, Portugal ,grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Univ Coimbra, Faculty of Pharmacy, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - António. F. Ambrósio
- grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Univ Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra, Portugal ,grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Univ Coimbra, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), Coimbra, Portugal ,grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Catarina A. Gomes
- grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Univ Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra, Portugal ,grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Univ Coimbra, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), Coimbra, Portugal ,grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Coimbra, Portugal ,grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Univ Coimbra, Faculty of Pharmacy, Coimbra, Portugal
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Brisch R, Wojtylak S, Saniotis A, Steiner J, Gos T, Kumaratilake J, Henneberg M, Wolf R. The role of microglia in neuropsychiatric disorders and suicide. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2022; 272:929-945. [PMID: 34595576 PMCID: PMC9388452 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-021-01334-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
This narrative review examines the possible role of microglial cells, first, in neuroinflammation and, second, in schizophrenia, depression, and suicide. Recent research on the interactions between microglia, astrocytes and neurons and their involvement in pathophysiological processes of neuropsychiatric disorders is presented. This review focuses on results from postmortem, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies, and animal models of schizophrenia and depression. Third, the effects of antipsychotic and antidepressant drug therapy, and of electroconvulsive therapy on microglial cells are explored and the upcoming development of therapeutic drugs targeting microglia is described. Finally, there is a discussion on the role of microglia in the evolutionary progression of human lineage. This view may contribute to a new understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Brisch
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Szymon Wojtylak
- Department of Pathomorphology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Arthur Saniotis
- Department of Anthropology, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
- Department of Pharmacy, Knowledge University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | - Johann Steiner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tomasz Gos
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Jaliya Kumaratilake
- Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit, Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Maciej Henneberg
- Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit, Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rainer Wolf
- Department of Nursing and Health, Hochschule Fulda, University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, Germany.
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Tassinari M, Mottolese N, Galvani G, Ferrara D, Gennaccaro L, Loi M, Medici G, Candini G, Rimondini R, Ciani E, Trazzi S. Luteolin Treatment Ameliorates Brain Development and Behavioral Performance in a Mouse Model of CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158719. [PMID: 35955854 PMCID: PMC9369425 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD), a rare and severe neurodevelopmental disease caused by mutations in the X-linked CDKL5 gene, is characterized by early-onset epilepsy, intellectual disability, and autistic features. Although pharmacotherapy has shown promise in the CDD mouse model, safe and effective clinical treatments are still far off. Recently, we found increased microglial activation in the brain of a mouse model of CDD, the Cdkl5 KO mouse, suggesting that a neuroinflammatory state, known to be involved in brain maturation and neuronal dysfunctions, may contribute to the pathophysiology of CDD. The present study aims to evaluate the possible beneficial effect of treatment with luteolin, a natural flavonoid known to have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities, on brain development and behavior in a heterozygous Cdkl5 (+/−) female mouse, the mouse model of CDD that best resembles the genetic clinical condition. We found that inhibition of neuroinflammation by chronic luteolin treatment ameliorates motor stereotypies, hyperactive profile and memory ability in Cdkl5 +/− mice. Luteolin treatment also increases hippocampal neurogenesis and improves dendritic spine maturation and dendritic arborization of hippocampal and cortical neurons. These findings show that microglia overactivation exerts a harmful action in the Cdkl5 +/− brain, suggesting that treatments aimed at counteracting the neuroinflammatory process should be considered as a promising adjuvant therapy for CDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Tassinari
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Nicola Mottolese
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Galvani
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Domenico Ferrara
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Laura Gennaccaro
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Manuela Loi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giorgio Medici
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giulia Candini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Roberto Rimondini
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Ciani
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefania Trazzi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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Neuroinflammation in Low-Level PM2.5-Exposed Rats Illustrated by PET via an Improved Automated Produced [18F]FEPPA: A Feasibility Study. Mol Imaging 2022; 2022:1076444. [PMID: 35903248 PMCID: PMC9328187 DOI: 10.1155/2022/1076444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background [18F]FEPPA is a potent TSPO imaging agent that has been found to be a potential tracer for imaging neuroinflammation. In order to fulfill the demand of this tracer for preclinical and clinical studies, we have developed a one-pot automated synthesis with simplified HPLC purification of this tracer, which was then used for PET imaging of neuroinflammation in fine particulate matter- (PM2.5-) exposed rats. Results Using this automated synthesis method, the RCY of the [18F]FEPPA was 38 ± 4% (n = 17, EOB) in a synthesis time of 83 ± 8 min from EOB. The radiochemical purity and molar activities were greater than 99% and 209 ± 138 GBq/μmol (EOS, n = 15), respectively. The quality of the [18F]FEPPA synthesized by this method met the U.S. Pharmacopoeia (USP) criteria. The stability test showed that the [18F]FEPPA was stable at 21 ± 2°C for up to 4 hr after the end of synthesis (EOS). Moreover, microPET imaging showed that increased tracer activity of [18F]FEPPA in the brain of PM2.5-exposed rats (n = 6) were higher than that of normal controls (n = 6) and regional-specific. Conclusions Using the improved semipreparative HPLC purification, [18F]FEPPA has been produced in high quantity, high quality, and high reproducibility and, for the first time, used for PET imaging the effects of PM2.5 in the rat brain. It is ready to be used for imaging inflammation in various clinical or preclinical studies, especially for nearby PET centers without cyclotrons.
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van der Geest KSM, Sandovici M, Nienhuis PH, Slart RHJA, Heeringa P, Brouwer E, Jiemy WF. Novel PET Imaging of Inflammatory Targets and Cells for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Giant Cell Arteritis and Polymyalgia Rheumatica. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:902155. [PMID: 35733858 PMCID: PMC9207253 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.902155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) are two interrelated inflammatory diseases affecting patients above 50 years of age. Patients with GCA suffer from granulomatous inflammation of medium- to large-sized arteries. This inflammation can lead to severe ischemic complications (e.g., irreversible vision loss and stroke) and aneurysm-related complications (such as aortic dissection). On the other hand, patients suffering from PMR present with proximal stiffness and pain due to inflammation of the shoulder and pelvic girdles. PMR is observed in 40-60% of patients with GCA, while up to 21% of patients suffering from PMR are also affected by GCA. Due to the risk of ischemic complications, GCA has to be promptly treated upon clinical suspicion. The treatment of both GCA and PMR still heavily relies on glucocorticoids (GCs), although novel targeted therapies are emerging. Imaging has a central position in the diagnosis of GCA and PMR. While [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) has proven to be a valuable tool for diagnosis of GCA and PMR, it possesses major drawbacks such as unspecific uptake in cells with high glucose metabolism, high background activity in several non-target organs and a decrease of diagnostic accuracy already after a short course of GC treatment. In recent years, our understanding of the immunopathogenesis of GCA and, to some extent, PMR has advanced. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the cellular heterogeneity in the immunopathology of GCA/PMR and discuss how recent advances in specific tissue infiltrating leukocyte and stromal cell profiles may be exploited as a source of novel targets for imaging. Finally, we discuss prospective novel PET radiotracers that may be useful for the diagnosis and treatment monitoring in GCA and PMR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kornelis S. M. van der Geest
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Maria Sandovici
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Pieter H. Nienhuis
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Medical Imaging Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Riemer H. J. A. Slart
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Medical Imaging Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Department of Biomedical Photonic Imaging Group, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands
| | - Peter Heeringa
- Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Elisabeth Brouwer
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - William F. Jiemy
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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15
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In vivo imaging translocator protein (TSPO) in autism spectrum disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1421-1427. [PMID: 35383319 PMCID: PMC9117200 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01306-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Converging evidence points to the significant involvement of the immune system in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Positron emission tomography (PET) can quantify translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO), a marker with increased expression mainly in microglia and, to some extent astroglia during neuropsychiatric diseases with inflammation. This preliminary analysis explored, for the first time, whether TSPO binding was altered in male and female participants with ASD in vivo using full kinetic quantification. Thirteen individuals with ASD (IQ > 70 [n = 12], IQ = 62 [n = 1]), 5 F, 25 ± 5 years) were scanned with [18F]FEPPA PET. Data from 13 typically developing control participants with matching age and TSPO rs6971 polymorphism (9 F, age 24 ± 5 years) were chosen from previous studies for comparison. The two tissue compartment model (2TCM) was used to determine the total volume of distribution ([18F]FEPPA VT) in four previously identified regions of interest (ROI): prefrontal, temporal, cerebellar, and anterior cingulate cortices. We observe no significant difference in [18F]FEPPA VT relative to controls (F(1,26)= 1.74, p = 0.20). However, 2 ASD participants with higher VT had concurrent major depressive episodes (MDE), which has been consistently reported during MDE. After excluding those 2 ASD participants, in a post-hoc analysis, our results show lower [18F]FEPPA VT in ASD participants compared to controls (F(1,24)= 6.62, p = 0.02). This preliminary analysis provides evidence suggesting an atypical neuroimmune state in ASD.
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16
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Young JW, Barback CV, Stolz LA, Groman SM, Vera DR, Hoh C, Kotta KK, Minassian A, Powell SB, Brody AL. MicroPET evidence for a hypersensitive neuroinflammatory profile of gp120 mouse model of HIV. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2022; 321:111445. [PMID: 35101828 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2022.111445] [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: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite increased survivability for people living with HIV (PLWH), HIV-related cognitive deficits persist. Determining biological mechanism(s) underlying abnormalities is critical to minimize the long-term impact of HIV. Positron emission tomography (PET) studies reveal that PLWH exhibit elevated neuroinflammation, potentially contributing to these problems. PLWH are hypersensitive to environmental insults that drive elevated inflammatory profiles. Gp120 is an envelope glycoprotein exposed on the surface of the HIV envelope which enables HIV entry into a cell contributing to HIV-related neurotoxicity. In vivo evidence for mice overexpressing gp120 (transgenic) mice exhibiting neuroinflammation remains unclear. Here, we conducted microPET imaging in gp120 transgenic and wildtype mice, using the radiotracer [(18)F]FEPPA (binds to the translocator protein expressed by activated microglial serving as a neuroinflammatory marker). Imaging was performed at baseline and 24 h after lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 5 mg/kg) treatment (endotoxin that triggers an immune response). Gp120 transgenic mice exhibited elevated [(18F)]FEPPA in response to LPS vs. wildtype mice throughout the brain including dorsal and ventral striata, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. Gp120 transgenic mice are hypersensitive to environmental inflammatory insults, consistent with PLWH, measurable in vivo. It remains to-be-determined whether this heightened sensitivity is connected to the behavioral abnormalities of these mice or sensitive to any treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Christopher V Barback
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla California; UCSD In Vivo Cancer and Molecular Imaging Program
| | - Louise A Stolz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
| | - Stephanie M Groman
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota
| | - David R Vera
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla California; UCSD In Vivo Cancer and Molecular Imaging Program
| | - Carl Hoh
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla California; UCSD In Vivo Cancer and Molecular Imaging Program
| | - Kishore K Kotta
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla California; UCSD In Vivo Cancer and Molecular Imaging Program
| | - Arpi Minassian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Susan B Powell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Arthur L Brody
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
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Chand GB, Jiang H, Miller JP, Rhodes CH, Tu Z, Wong DF. Differential Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor-1 Protein Expression in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Between Schizophrenia Type 1 and Type 2. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:827981. [PMID: 35350429 PMCID: PMC8957823 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.827981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the etiology and treatment approaches in schizophrenia is challenged in part by the heterogeneity of this disorder. One encouraging progress is the growing evidence that there are subtypes of schizophrenia. Recent in vitro findings of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) gene expression on postmortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) showed that schizophrenia has two subtypes, those with a relatively normal DLPFC transcriptome (Type 1) and those with differentially expressed genes (Type 2). Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor-1 (S1PR1) is one of the genes that was highly upregulated in Type 2 compared to Type 1 and controls. The impact of that finding is limited because it only can be confirmed through analysis of autopsy tissue, and the clinical characteristics such as symptoms severity or illness duration except for cause of death was not available from that Medical Examiner based autopsy study. However, S1PR1 has great potential because it is a target gene that can be accessed via positron emission tomography (PET) in vivo using specific radioligands (starting with [11C]CS1P1) successfully developed at our center in human brain imaging. As a preliminary study to validate this PET target in schizophrenia, S1PR1 protein expression was assessed by receptor autoradiography (ARG) using [3H]CS1P1 and immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the DLPFC from patients with schizophrenia classified as Type 1 or Type 2 based on their DLPFC transcriptomes and from controls. Our analyses demonstrate that ARG S1PR1 protein expression is significantly higher in Type 2 compared to Type 1 (p < 0.05) and controls (p < 0.05), which was consistent with previous mRNA S1PR1. These findings support the possibility that PET S1PR1 can be used as a future imaging biomarker to distinguish these subgroups of schizophrenic patients during life with obvious implications for both patient management and the design of clinical trials to validate novel pharmacologic therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganesh B. Chand
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Hao Jiang
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - J. Philip Miller
- Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | | | - Zhude Tu
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Dean Foster Wong
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
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Pinjari OF, Dasgupta SK, Okusaga OO. Plasma Soluble P-selectin, Interleukin-6 and S100B Protein in Patients with Schizophrenia: a Pilot Study. Psychiatr Q 2022; 93:335-345. [PMID: 34599734 DOI: 10.1007/s11126-021-09954-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Microglial activation has long been posited to be involved in the neurobiology of schizophrenia. However, recent studies indicate that schizophrenia is associated with astrocytic activation, rather than microglia activation. Moreover, elevated levels of peripheral inflammatory cytokines associated with schizophrenia could induce or reflect brain inflammation. Therefore, based on: 1) findings of a periphery-to-brain communication pathway involving the cell adhesion molecule, P-selectin, in animal models; 2) dysregulated interleukin-6 (IL-6) and elevated levels of the astrocytic marker, S100B protein, in patients with schizophrenia, we sought to determine correlations between plasma soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), S100B and IL-6 respectively. We recruited 106 patients with schizophrenia (mean age 33 years, 71.60% male) from the inpatient. sP-selectin, S100B and IL-6 were measured in fasting plasma. We calculated Pearson's and partial correlations between sP-selectin, S100B and IL-6. After controlling for potential confounders, sP-selectin positively correlated with S100B (r=0.31, p=0.004) and IL-6 (r=0.28, P=0.046). The correlation between IL-6 and S100B (r=0.28, p=0.066) did not reach statistical significance. We propose that in some patients with schizophrenia, immune activation in the periphery is associated with P-selectin-mediated trafficking of inflammation into the brain (most likely via leukocytes), which might be associated with astrocytic activation. Future studies should include healthy controls and first episode/early-onset psychosis patients. Importantly, in vivo imaging of neuroinflammation should be correlated with sP-selectin, IL-6 and S100B in the periphery and the CSF. Finally, the utility of combining sP-selectin, IL-6 and S100B as biomarkers for subtyping patients with schizophrenia, treatment selection and prognosis, should be evaluated in longitudinal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar F Pinjari
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX, USA
| | - Swapan K Dasgupta
- Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CTRID), Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Olaoluwa O Okusaga
- Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CTRID), Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
- Bipolar and Schizophrenia Treatment (BeST) Clinic, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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Smucny J, Dienel SJ, Lewis DA, Carter CS. Mechanisms underlying dorsolateral prefrontal cortex contributions to cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:292-308. [PMID: 34285373 PMCID: PMC8617156 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01089-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Kraepelin, in his early descriptions of schizophrenia (SZ), characterized the illness as having "an orchestra without a conductor." Kraepelin further speculated that this "conductor" was situated in the frontal lobes. Findings from multiple studies over the following decades have clearly implicated pathology of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as playing a central role in the pathophysiology of SZ, particularly with regard to key cognitive features such as deficits in working memory and cognitive control. Following an overview of the cognitive mechanisms associated with DLPFC function and how they are altered in SZ, we review evidence from an array of neuroscientific approaches addressing how these cognitive impairments may reflect the underlying pathophysiology of the illness. Specifically, we present evidence suggesting that alterations of the DLPFC in SZ are evident across a range of spatial and temporal resolutions: from its cellular and molecular architecture, to its gross structural and functional integrity, and from millisecond to longer timescales. We then present an integrative model based upon how microscale changes in neuronal signaling in the DLPFC can influence synchronized patterns of neural activity to produce macrocircuit-level alterations in DLPFC activation that ultimately influence cognition and behavior. We conclude with a discussion of initial efforts aimed at targeting DLPFC function in SZ, the clinical implications of those efforts, and potential avenues for future development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Smucny
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Samuel J Dienel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - David A Lewis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Cameron S Carter
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA.
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
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20
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De Picker LJ, Haarman BCM. Applicability, potential and limitations of TSPO PET imaging as a clinical immunopsychiatry biomarker. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2021; 49:164-173. [PMID: 33735406 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-021-05308-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE TSPO PET imaging may hold promise as a single-step diagnostic work-up for clinical immunopsychiatry. This review paper on the clinical applicability of TSPO PET for primary psychiatric disorders discusses if and why TSPO PET imaging might become the first clinical immunopsychiatry biomarker and the investment prerequisites and scientific advancements needed to accommodate this transition from bench to bedside. METHODS We conducted a systematic search of the literature to identify clinical studies of TSPO PET imaging in patients with primary psychiatric disorders. We included both original case-control studies as well as longitudinal cohort studies of patients with a primary psychiatric diagnosis. RESULTS Thirty-one original studies met our inclusion criteria. In the field of immunopsychiatry, TSPO PET has until now mostly been studied in schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, and to a lesser extent in mood disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders. Quantitative TSPO PET appears most promising as a predictive biomarker for the transdiagnostic identification of subgroups or disease stages that could benefit from immunological treatments, or as a prognostic biomarker forecasting patients' illness course. Current scanning protocols are still too unreliable, impractical and invasive for clinical use in symptomatic psychiatric patients. CONCLUSION TSPO PET imaging in its present form does not yet offer a sufficiently attractive cost-benefit ratio to become a clinical immunopsychiatry biomarker. Its translation to psychiatric clinical practice will depend on the prioritising of longitudinal research and the establishment of a uniform protocol rendering clinically meaningful TSPO uptake quantification at the shortest possible scan duration without arterial cannulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia J De Picker
- University Psychiatric Hospital Campus Duffel, Stationsstraat 22C, 2570, Duffel, Belgium.
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 1, 2650, Edegem, Belgium.
| | - Benno C M Haarman
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9700RA, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Rob Giel Research Center (RGOc), University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9700RA, Groningen, The Netherlands
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21
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Da Silva T, Guma E, Hafizi S, Koppel A, Rusjan P, Kennedy JL, Chakravarty MM, Mizrahi R. Genetically Predicted Brain C4A Expression Is Associated With TSPO and Hippocampal Morphology. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 90:652-660. [PMID: 34456009 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alterations in the immune system, particularly C4A, have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. C4A promotes synapse elimination by microglia in preclinical models; however, it is unknown whether this process is also present in living humans and how it affects brain morphology. METHODS Participants (N = 111; 33 patients with psychosis, 37 individuals at clinical high risk, and 41 healthy control subjects) underwent a TSPO [18F]FEPPA positron emission tomography scan and a magnetic resonance imaging scan. Brain C4A expression was genetically predicted as a function of the dosage of each of 4 structural elements (C4AL, C4BL, C4AS, C4BS). RESULTS Higher genetically predicted brain C4A expression was associated with higher brain microglial marker (TSPO) and altered hippocampal morphology, including reduced surface area and medial displacement in the CA1 area. This study is the first to quantify genetically predicted brain C4A expression in individuals at clinical high risk, showing significantly lower C4A in individuals at clinical high risk compared with healthy control subjects. We also showed a robust effect of sex on genetically predicted brain C4A expression and effects of both sex and cannabis use on brain TSPO. CONCLUSIONS This study shows for the first time complement system (C4A) coupling with a microglial marker (TSPO) and hippocampal morphology in living human brain. These findings pave the way for future research on the interaction between C4A and glial cell function, which has the potential to inform the disease mechanism underlying psychosis and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Da Silva
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elisa Guma
- Computational Brain Anatomy Laboratory, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sina Hafizi
- Department of Psychiatry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Alex Koppel
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pablo Rusjan
- Cerebral Imaging Center, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - James L Kennedy
- Tanenbaum Centre for Pharmacogenetics, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mallar M Chakravarty
- Cerebral Imaging Center, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Romina Mizrahi
- Cerebral Imaging Center, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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22
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The effect of antipsychotic medications on white matter integrity in first-episode drug-naïve patients with psychosis: A review of DTI studies. Asian J Psychiatr 2021; 61:102688. [PMID: 34000500 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychotic episodes have been associated with damage to both grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM). Although a recent meta-analysis suggest that in long term treatment, first generation antipsychotics (FGA) are associated with progressive reduction in GM, second generation antipsychotics (SGA) seem to have benefits to WM microstructure. METHODS A search was conducted to identify controlled trials published from January 2000 to January 2021, which assessed WM integrity as measured by DTI in drug-naïve patients with FEP before and after antipsychotic administration. RESULTS 3 studies met the criteria for inclusion. All studies demonstrated lower FA in psychotic patients vs HC. A 6-week study reported that antipsychotic medication results in a further decrease in FA within the bilateral ACG and right ACR, regions important in emotional processing. An 8-week study found that antipsychotic treatment increase FA in the SLF, resulting in improved symptoms and increased processing speed. A 3rd study found an increase in FA in several regions along with a negative correlation between FA and PANSS at remission. CONCLUSIONS Drug-naïve FEP patients have WM dysfunction at baseline and antipsychotic medications appear to alter or improve WM especially at remission. More controlled trials are warranted to validate these conclusions.
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23
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Romero-Miguel D, Casquero-Veiga M, MacDowell KS, Torres-Sanchez S, Garcia-Partida JA, Lamanna-Rama N, Romero-Miranda A, Berrocoso E, Leza JC, Desco M, Soto-Montenegro ML. A Characterization of the Effects of Minocycline Treatment During Adolescence on Structural, Metabolic, and Oxidative Stress Parameters in a Maternal Immune Stimulation Model of Neurodevelopmental Brain Disorders. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2021; 24:734-748. [PMID: 34165516 PMCID: PMC8453277 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyab036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Minocycline (MIN) is a tetracycline with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties. Given the likely involvement of inflammation and oxidative stress (IOS) in schizophrenia, MIN has been proposed as a potential adjuvant treatment in this pathology. We tested an early therapeutic window, during adolescence, as prevention of the schizophrenia-related deficits in the maternal immune stimulation (MIS) animal model. METHODS On gestational day 15, Poly I:C or vehicle was injected in pregnant Wistar rats. A total 93 male offspring received MIN (30 mg/kg) or saline from postnatal day (PND) 35-49. At PND70, rats were submitted to the prepulse inhibition test. FDG-PET and T2-weighted MRI brain studies were performed at adulthood. IOS markers were evaluated in frozen brain tissue. RESULTS MIN treatment did not prevent prepulse inhibition test behavioral deficits in MIS offspring. However, MIN prevented morphometric abnormalities in the third ventricle but not in the hippocampus. Additionally, MIN reduced brain metabolism in cerebellum and increased it in nucleus accumbens. Finally, MIN reduced the expression of iNOS (prefrontal cortex, caudate-putamen) and increased the levels of KEAP1 (prefrontal cortex), HO1 and NQO1 (amygdala, hippocampus), and HO1 (caudate-putamen). CONCLUSIONS MIN treatment during adolescence partially counteracts volumetric abnormalities and IOS deficits in the MIS model, likely via iNOS and Nrf2-ARE pathways, also increasing the expression of cytoprotective enzymes. However, MIN treatment during this peripubertal stage does not prevent sensorimotor gating deficits. Therefore, even though it does not prevent all the MIS-derived abnormalities evaluated, our results suggest the potential utility of early treatment with MIN in other schizophrenia domains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marta Casquero-Veiga
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain,CIBER de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Karina S MacDowell
- CIBER de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense (UCM), IIS Imas12, IUIN, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sonia Torres-Sanchez
- CIBER de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain,Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Psychobiology Area, Department of Psychology, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain,Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain
| | - José Antonio Garcia-Partida
- CIBER de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain,Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Psychobiology Area, Department of Psychology, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain,Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain
| | | | | | - Esther Berrocoso
- CIBER de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain,Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Psychobiology Area, Department of Psychology, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain,Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Juan C Leza
- CIBER de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense (UCM), IIS Imas12, IUIN, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Desco
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain,CIBER de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain,Departamento de Bioingeniería e Ingeniería Aeroespacial, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Leganés, Spain,Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, CNIC, Madrid, Spain,Correspondence: Manuel Desco, PhD, Laboratorio de Imagen Médica, Unidad de Medicina y Cirugía Experimental, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Dr. Esquerdo, 46. E-28007 Madrid, Spain ()
| | - María Luisa Soto-Montenegro
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain,CIBER de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain,High Performance Research Group in Physiopathology and Pharmacology of the Digestive System (NeuGut), University Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), Alcorcón, Spain
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24
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Kraguljac NV, McDonald WM, Widge AS, Rodriguez CI, Tohen M, Nemeroff CB. Neuroimaging Biomarkers in Schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 2021; 178:509-521. [PMID: 33397140 PMCID: PMC8222104 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20030340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome with a heterogeneous genetic, neurobiological, and phenotypic profile. Currently, no objective biological measures-that is, biomarkers-are available to inform diagnostic or treatment decisions. Neuroimaging is well positioned for biomarker development in schizophrenia, as it may capture phenotypic variations in molecular and cellular disease targets, or in brain circuits. These mechanistically based biomarkers may represent a direct measure of the pathophysiological underpinnings of the disease process and thus could serve as true intermediate or surrogate endpoints. Effective biomarkers could validate new treatment targets or pathways, predict response, aid in selection of patients for therapy, determine treatment regimens, and provide a rationale for personalized treatments. In this review, the authors discuss a range of mechanistically plausible neuroimaging biomarker candidates, including dopamine hyperactivity, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor hypofunction, hippocampal hyperactivity, immune dysregulation, dysconnectivity, and cortical gray matter volume loss. They then focus on the putative neuroimaging biomarkers for disease risk, diagnosis, target engagement, and treatment response in schizophrenia. Finally, they highlight areas of unmet need and discuss strategies to advance biomarker development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina V. Kraguljac
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL,Corresponding Author: Nina Vanessa Kraguljac, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, SC 501, 1720 7th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35294-0017, 205-996-7171,
| | - William M. McDonald
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine
| | - Alik S. Widge
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Carolyn I. Rodriguez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA,Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Mauricio Tohen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Charles B. Nemeroff
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Dell Medical School, Austin, TX
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25
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Zürcher NR, Loggia ML, Mullett JE, Tseng C, Bhanot A, Richey L, Hightower BG, Wu C, Parmar AJ, Butterfield RI, Dubois JM, Chonde DB, Izquierdo-Garcia D, Wey HY, Catana C, Hadjikhani N, McDougle CJ, Hooker JM. [ 11C]PBR28 MR-PET imaging reveals lower regional brain expression of translocator protein (TSPO) in young adult males with autism spectrum disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:1659-1669. [PMID: 32076115 PMCID: PMC8159742 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0682-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 01/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Mechanisms of neuroimmune and mitochondrial dysfunction have been repeatedly implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To examine these mechanisms in ASD individuals, we measured the in vivo expression of the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO), an activated glial marker expressed on mitochondrial membranes. Participants underwent scanning on a simultaneous magnetic resonance-positron emission tomography (MR-PET) scanner with the second-generation TSPO radiotracer [11C]PBR28. By comparing TSPO in 15 young adult males with ASD with 18 age- and sex-matched controls, we showed that individuals with ASD exhibited lower regional TSPO expression in several brain regions, including the bilateral insular cortex, bilateral precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, and bilateral temporal, angular, and supramarginal gyri, which have previously been implicated in autism in functional MR imaging studies. No brain region exhibited higher regional TSPO expression in the ASD group compared with the control group. A subset of participants underwent a second MR-PET scan after a median interscan interval of 3.6 months, and we determined that TSPO expression over this period of time was stable and replicable. Furthermore, voxelwise analysis confirmed lower regional TSPO expression in ASD at this later time point. Lower TSPO expression in ASD could reflect abnormalities in neuroimmune processes or mitochondrial dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- N R Zürcher
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - M L Loggia
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J E Mullett
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - C Tseng
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - A Bhanot
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - L Richey
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - B G Hightower
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - C Wu
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - A J Parmar
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - R I Butterfield
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - J M Dubois
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - D B Chonde
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - D Izquierdo-Garcia
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - H Y Wey
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - C Catana
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - N Hadjikhani
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Center, University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - C J McDougle
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - J M Hooker
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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26
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Mohebiany AN, Ramphal NS, Karram K, Di Liberto G, Novkovic T, Klein M, Marini F, Kreutzfeldt M, Härtner F, Lacher SM, Bopp T, Mittmann T, Merkler D, Waisman A. Microglial A20 Protects the Brain from CD8 T-Cell-Mediated Immunopathology. Cell Rep 2021; 30:1585-1597.e6. [PMID: 32023471 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.12.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3), or A20, is a ubiquitin-modifying protein and negative regulator of canonical nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling. Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms in TNFAIP3 are associated with autoimmune diseases, suggesting a role in tissue inflammation. While the role of A20 in peripheral immune cells has been well investigated, less is known about its role in the central nervous system (CNS). Here, we show that microglial A20 is crucial for maintaining brain homeostasis. Without microglial A20, CD8+ T cells spontaneously infiltrate the CNS and acquire a viral response signature. The combination of infiltrating CD8+ T cells and activated A20-deficient microglia leads to an increase in VGLUT1+ terminals and frequency of spontaneous excitatory currents. Ultimately, A20-deficient microglia upregulate genes associated with the antiviral response and neurodegenerative diseases. Together, our data suggest that microglial A20 acts as a sensor for viral infection and a master regulator of CNS homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alma Nazlie Mohebiany
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Nishada Shakunty Ramphal
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Khalad Karram
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Giovanni Di Liberto
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Tanja Novkovic
- Institute for Physiology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Matthias Klein
- Institute for Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Federico Marini
- Institute for Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Mario Kreutzfeldt
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Franziska Härtner
- Institute for Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Sonja Maria Lacher
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Tobias Bopp
- Institute for Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Mittmann
- Institute for Physiology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Doron Merkler
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; Division of Clinical Pathology, Geneva University Hospital, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ari Waisman
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany.
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27
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Plavén-Sigray P, Matheson GJ, Coughlin JM, Hafizi S, Laurikainen H, Ottoy J, De Picker L, Rusjan P, Hietala J, Howes OD, Mizrahi R, Morrens M, Pomper MG, Cervenka S. Meta-analysis of the Glial Marker TSPO in Psychosis Revisited: Reconciling Inconclusive Findings of Patient-Control Differences. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:e5-e8. [PMID: 32682565 PMCID: PMC7899168 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pontus Plavén-Sigray
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden,Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Granville J. Matheson
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jennifer M. Coughlin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland,Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Sina Hafizi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Heikki Laurikainen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Neuropsychiatric Imaging Group, Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Julie Ottoy
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Livia De Picker
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Pablo Rusjan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jarmo Hietala
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Neuropsychiatric Imaging Group, Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Oliver D. Howes
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London,MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom,Hammersmith Hospital; and Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Romina Mizrahi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Manuel Morrens
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Martin G. Pomper
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland,Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Simon Cervenka
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
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28
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Pekala M, Doliwa M, Kalita K. Impact of maternal immune activation on dendritic spine development. Dev Neurobiol 2021; 81:524-545. [PMID: 33382515 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Dendritic spines are small dendritic protrusions that harbor most excitatory synapses in the brain. The proper generation and maturation of dendritic spines are crucial for the regulation of synaptic transmission and formation of neuronal circuits. Abnormalities in dendritic spine density and morphology are common pathologies in autism and schizophrenia. According to epidemiological studies, one risk factor for these neurodevelopmental disorders is maternal infection during pregnancy. This review discusses spine alterations in animal models of maternal immune activation in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders. We describe potential mechanisms that might be responsible for prenatal infection-induced changes in the dendritic spine phenotype and behavior in offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martyna Pekala
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marta Doliwa
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Kalita
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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29
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Ansarey SH. Inflammation and JNK's Role in Niacin-GPR109A Diminished Flushed Effect in Microglial and Neuronal Cells With Relevance to Schizophrenia. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:771144. [PMID: 34916973 PMCID: PMC8668869 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.771144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a neuropsychiatric illness with no single definitive aetiology, making its treatment difficult. Antipsychotics are not fully effective because they treat psychosis rather than the cognitive or negative symptoms. Antipsychotics fail to alleviate symptoms when patients enter the chronic stage of illness. Topical application of niacin showed diminished skin flush in the majority of patients with schizophrenia compared to the general population who showed flushing. The niacin skin flush test is useful for identifying patients with schizophrenia at their ultra-high-risk stage, and understanding this pathology may introduce an effective treatment. This review aims to understand the pathology behind the diminished skin flush response, while linking it back to neurons and microglia. First, it suggests that there are altered proteins in the GPR109A-COX-prostaglandin pathway, inflammatory imbalance, and kinase signalling pathway, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), which are associated with diminished flush. Second, genes from the GPR109A-COX-prostaglandin pathway were matched against the 128-loci genome wide association study (GWAS) for schizophrenia using GeneCards, suggesting that G-coupled receptor-109A (GPR109A) may have a genetic mutation, resulting in diminished flush. This review also suggests that there may be increased pro-inflammatory mediators in the GPR109A-COX-prostaglandin pathway, which contributes to the diminished flush pathology. Increased levels of pro-inflammatory markers may induce microglial-activated neuronal death. Lastly, this review explores the role of JNK on pro-inflammatory mediators, proteins in the GPR109A-COX-prostaglandin pathway, microglial activation, and neuronal death. Inhibiting JNK may reverse the changes observed in the diminished flush response, which might make it a good therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina H Ansarey
- Department of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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30
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Iliopoulou SM, Tsartsalis S, Kaiser S, Millet P, Tournier BB. Dopamine and Neuroinflammation in Schizophrenia - Interpreting the Findings from Translocator Protein (18kDa) PET Imaging. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2021; 17:3345-3357. [PMID: 34819729 PMCID: PMC8608287 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s334027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex disease whose pathophysiology is not yet fully understood. In addition to the long prevailing dopaminergic hypothesis, the evidence suggests that neuroinflammation plays a role in the pathophysiology of the disease. Recent studies using positron emission tomography (PET) that target a 18kDa translocator protein (TSPO) in activated microglial cells in an attempt to measure neuroinflammation in patients have shown a decrease or a lack of an increase in TSPO binding. Many biological and methodological considerations have been formulated to explain these findings. Although dopamine has been described as an immunomodulatory molecule, its potential role in neuroinflammation has not been explored in the aforementioned studies. In this review, we discuss the interactions between dopamine and neuroinflammation in psychotic states. Dopamine may inhibit neuroinflammation in activated microglia. Proinflammatory molecules released from microglia may decrease dopaminergic transmission. This could potentially explain why the levels of neuroinflammation in the brain of patients with schizophrenia seem to be unchanged or decreased compared to those in healthy subjects. However, most data are indirect and are derived from animal studies or from studies performed outside the field of schizophrenia. Further studies are needed to combine TSPO and dopamine imaging to study the association between microglial activation and dopamine system function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sotiria Maria Iliopoulou
- Adult Psychiatry Division, Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Geneva, 1225, Switzerland
| | | | - Stefan Kaiser
- Adult Psychiatry Division, Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Geneva, 1225, Switzerland.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, 1204, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Millet
- Adult Psychiatry Division, Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Geneva, 1225, Switzerland.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, 1204, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin B Tournier
- Adult Psychiatry Division, Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Geneva, 1225, Switzerland.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, 1204, Switzerland
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Neuroinflammation as measured by positron emission tomography in patients with recent onset and established schizophrenia: implications for immune pathogenesis. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:5398-5406. [PMID: 32606376 PMCID: PMC8589678 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0829-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO), which is upregulated in activated microglia, is a method for investigating whether immune activation is evident in the brain of adults with schizophrenia. This study aimed to measure TSPO availability in the largest patient group to date, and to compare it between patients with recent onset (ROS) and established (ES) schizophrenia. In total, 20 ROS patients (14 male), 21 ES (13 male), and 21 healthy controls completed the study. Patients were predominantly antipsychotic-medicated. Participants underwent a PET scan using the TSPO-specific radioligand [11C](R)-PK11195. The primary outcome was binding potential (BPND) in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Secondary outcomes were BPND in six other regions. Correlations were investigated between TSPO availability and symptom severity. Data showed that mean BPND was higher in older (ES and controls) compared with younger (ROS and controls) individuals, but did not significantly differ between ROS or ES and their respective age-matched controls (ACC; ANOVA main effect of diagnosis: F1,58 = 0.407, p = 0.526). Compared with controls, BPND was lower in antipsychotic-free (n = 6), but not in medicated, ROS patients. BPND in the ES group was negatively correlated with positive symptoms, and positively correlated with negative symptom score. Our data suggest ageing is associated with higher TSPO but a diagnosis of schizophrenia is not. Rather, subnormal TSPO levels in drug-free recent-onset patients may imply impaired microglial development and/or function, which is counteracted by antipsychotic treatment. The development of novel radioligands for specific immune-mechanisms is needed for further clarification.
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32
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Personality traits in psychosis and psychosis risk linked to TSPO expression: a neuroimmune marker. PERSONALITY NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 3:e14. [PMID: 33354652 PMCID: PMC7737185 DOI: 10.1017/pen.2020.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Personality has been correlated with differences in cytokine expression, an indicator of peripheral inflammation; however, the associations between personality and central markers of inflammation have never been investigated in vivo in humans. Microglia are the resident macrophages of the central nervous system, and the first responders to tissue damage and brain insult. Microglial activation is associated with elevated expression of translocator protein 18kDa (TSPO), which can be imaged with positron emission tomography (PET) to quantify immune activation in the human brain. This study aimed to investigate the association between personality and TSPO expression across the psychosis spectrum. A total of 61 high-resolution [18F]FEPPA PET scans were conducted in 28 individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis, 19 First-Episode Psychosis (FEP), and 14 healthy volunteers (HVs), and analyzed using a two-tissue compartment model and plasma input function to obtain a total volume of distribution (VT) as an index of brain TSPO expression (controlling for the rs6971 TSPO polymorphism). Personality was assessed using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R). We found TSPO expression to be specifically associated with neuroticism. A positive association between TSPO expression and neuroticism was found in HVs, in contrast to a nonsignificant, negative association in CHR and significant negative association in FEP. The TSPO-associated neuroticism trait indicates an unexplored connection between neuroimmune activation and personality that varies across the psychosis spectrum.
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33
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Meyer JH, Cervenka S, Kim MJ, Kreisl WC, Henter ID, Innis RB. Neuroinflammation in psychiatric disorders: PET imaging and promising new targets. Lancet Psychiatry 2020; 7:1064-1074. [PMID: 33098761 PMCID: PMC7893630 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30255-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Neuroinflammation is a multifaceted physiological and pathophysiological response of the brain to injury and disease. Given imaging findings of 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) and the development of radioligands for other inflammatory targets, PET imaging of neuroinflammation is at a particularly promising stage. This Review critically evaluates PET imaging results of inflammation in psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, schizophrenia and psychosis disorders, substance use, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. We also consider promising new targets that can be measured in the brain, such as monoamine oxidase B, cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2, colony stimulating factor 1 receptor, and the purinergic P2X7 receptor. Thus far, the most compelling TSPO imaging results have arguably been found in major depressive disorder, for which consistent increases have been observed, and in schizophrenia and psychosis, for which patients show reduced TSPO levels. This pattern highlights the importance of validating brain biomarkers of neuroinflammation for each condition separately before moving on to patient stratification and treatment monitoring trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey H Meyer
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Simon Cervenka
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Min-Jeong Kim
- Molecular Imaging Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - William C Kreisl
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ioline D Henter
- Molecular Imaging Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Robert B Innis
- Molecular Imaging Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Dinesh AA, Islam J, Khan J, Turkheimer F, Vernon AC. Effects of Antipsychotic Drugs: Cross Talk Between the Nervous and Innate Immune System. CNS Drugs 2020; 34:1229-1251. [PMID: 32975758 DOI: 10.1007/s40263-020-00765-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Converging lines of evidence suggest that activation of microglia (innate immune cells in the central nervous system [CNS]) is present in a subset of patients with schizophrenia. The extent to which antipsychotic drug treatment contributes to or combats this effect remains unclear. To address this question, we reviewed the literature for evidence that antipsychotic exposure influences brain microglia as indexed by in vivo neuroimaging and post-mortem studies in patients with schizophrenia and experimental animal models. We found no clear evidence from clinical studies for an effect of antipsychotics on either translocator protein (TSPO) radioligand binding (an in vivo neuroimaging measure of putative gliosis) or markers of brain microglia in post-mortem studies. In experimental animals, where drug and illness effects may be differentiated, we also found no clear evidence for consistent effects of antipsychotic drugs on TSPO radioligand binding. By contrast, we found evidence that chronic antipsychotic exposure may influence central microglia density and morphology. However, these effects were dependent on the dose and duration of drug exposure and whether an immune stimulus was present or not. In the latter case, antipsychotics were generally reported to suppress expression of inflammatory cytokines and inducible inflammatory enzymes such as cyclooxygenase and microglia activation. No clear conclusions could be drawn with regard to any effect of antipsychotics on brain microglia from current clinical data. There is evidence to suggest that antipsychotic drugs influence brain microglia in experimental animals, including possible anti-inflammatory actions. However, we lack detailed information on how these drugs influence brain microglia function at the molecular level. The clinical relevance of the animal data with regard to beneficial treatment effects and detrimental side effects of antipsychotic drugs also remains unknown, and further studies are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayushi Anna Dinesh
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Juned Islam
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Javad Khan
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Federico Turkheimer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony C Vernon
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, United Kingdom.
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, 5 Cutcombe Road, London, SE5 9RT, United Kingdom.
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35
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Carrier M, Robert MÈ, González Ibáñez F, Desjardins M, Tremblay MÈ. Imaging the Neuroimmune Dynamics Across Space and Time. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:903. [PMID: 33071723 PMCID: PMC7539119 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The immune system is essential for maintaining homeostasis, as well as promoting growth and healing throughout the brain and body. Considering that immune cells respond rapidly to changes in their microenvironment, they are very difficult to study without affecting their structure and function. The advancement of non-invasive imaging methods greatly contributed to elucidating the physiological roles performed by immune cells in the brain across stages of the lifespan and contexts of health and disease. For instance, techniques like two-photon in vivo microscopy were pivotal for studying microglial functional dynamics in the healthy brain. Through these observations, their interactions with neurons, astrocytes, blood vessels and synapses were uncovered. High-resolution electron microscopy with immunostaining and 3D-reconstruction, as well as super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, provided complementary insights by revealing microglial interventions at synapses (phagocytosis, trogocytosis, synaptic stripping, etc.). In addition, serial block-face scanning electron microscopy has provided the first 3D reconstruction of a microglial cell at nanoscale resolution. This review will discuss the technical toolbox that currently allows to study microglia and other immune cells in the brain, as well as introduce emerging methods that were developed and could be used to increase the spatial and temporal resolution of neuroimmune imaging. A special attention will also be placed on positron emission tomography and the development of selective functional radiotracers for microglia and peripheral macrophages, considering their strong potential for research translation between animals and humans, notably when paired with other imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micaël Carrier
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Marie-Ève Robert
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Fernando González Ibáñez
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Michèle Desjardins
- Axe Oncologie, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Department of Physics, Physical Engineering and Optics, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Marie-Ève Tremblay
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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36
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In Vivo TSPO Signal and Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's Disease. Cells 2020; 9:cells9091941. [PMID: 32839410 PMCID: PMC7565089 DOI: 10.3390/cells9091941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in in vivo imaging has attempted to demonstrate the presence of neuroinflammatory reactions by measuring the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) expression in many diseases of the central nervous system. We focus on two pathological conditions for which neuropathological studies have shown the presence of neuroinflammation, which translates in opposite in vivo expression of TSPO. Alzheimer's disease has been the most widely assessed with more than forty preclinical and clinical studies, showing overall that TSPO is upregulated in this condition, despite differences in the topography of this increase, its time-course and the associated cell types. In the case of schizophrenia, a reduction of TSPO has instead been observed, though the evidence remains scarce and contradictory. This review focuses on the key characteristics of TSPO as a biomarker of neuroinflammation in vivo, namely, on the cellular origin of the variations in its expression, on its possible biological/pathological role and on its variations across disease phases.
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37
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Downer OM, Marcus RE, Zürcher NR, Hooker JM. Tracing the History of the Human Translocator Protein to Recent Neurodegenerative and Psychiatric Imaging. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:2192-2200. [PMID: 32662626 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The human 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) has been widely used as a measure of glial activation in health and disease. With the continuous progress of radiotracers with increased affinity and selectivity, associations between TSPO expression, disease severity, and progression have been examined, particularly in neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, findings in psychiatric disorders have prompted reassessment of the interpretation of regional TSPO expression differences in the brain, specifically with respect to potential neuroinflammatory components. This "mini" Review aims to guide readers through the complexity of TSPO imaging research by identifying the successes, challenges, and promising new directions of the field. We will provide a brief history of how TSPO imaging has evolved over the last three decades and present lessons learned in the context of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia M. Downer
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Rachel E.G. Marcus
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Nicole R. Zürcher
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Jacob M. Hooker
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
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38
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Laurell GL, Plavén-Sigray P, Jucaite A, Varrone A, Cosgrove KP, Svarer C, Knudsen GM, Ogden RT, Zanderigo F, Cervenka S, Hillmer AT, Schain M. Nondisplaceable Binding Is a Potential Confounding Factor in 11C-PBR28 Translocator Protein PET Studies. J Nucl Med 2020; 62:412-417. [PMID: 32680926 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.120.243717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The PET ligand 11C-PBR28 (N-((2-(methoxy-11C)-phenyl)methyl)-N-(6-phenoxy-3-pyridinyl)acetamide) binds to the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO), a biomarker of glia. In clinical studies of TSPO, the ligand total distribution volume, VT, is frequently the reported outcome measure. Since VT is the sum of the ligand-specific distribution volume (VS) and the nondisplaceable-binding distribution volume (VND), differences in VND across subjects and groups will have an impact on VT Methods: Here, we used a recently developed method for simultaneous estimation of VND (SIME) to disentangle contributions from VND and VS Data from 4 previously published 11C-PBR28 PET studies were included: before and after a lipopolysaccharide challenge (8 subjects), in alcohol use disorder (14 patients, 15 controls), in first-episode psychosis (16 patients, 16 controls), and in Parkinson disease (16 patients, 16 controls). In each dataset, regional VT estimates were obtained with a standard 2-tissue-compartment model, and brain-wide VND was estimated with SIME. VS was then calculated as VT - VND VND and VS were then compared across groups, within each dataset. Results: A lower VND was found for individuals with alcohol-use disorder (34%, P = 0.00084) and Parkinson disease (34%, P = 0.0032) than in their corresponding controls. We found no difference in VND between first-episode psychosis patients and their controls, and the administration of lipopolysaccharide did not change VND Conclusion: Our findings suggest that in TSPO PET studies, nondisplaceable binding can differ between patient groups and conditions and should therefore be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gjertrud L Laurell
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Pontus Plavén-Sigray
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Aurelija Jucaite
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,PET Science Centre, Precision Medicine and Genomics, R&D, AstraZeneca, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrea Varrone
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kelly P Cosgrove
- PET Center, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.,Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Claus Svarer
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gitte M Knudsen
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - R Todd Ogden
- Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York, New York.,Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology Area, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Francesca Zanderigo
- Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York, New York.,Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York; and
| | - Simon Cervenka
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ansel T Hillmer
- PET Center, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.,Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.,Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Martin Schain
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
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39
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Dimitrova-Shumkovska J, Krstanoski L, Veenman L. Diagnostic and Therapeutic Potential of TSPO Studies Regarding Neurodegenerative Diseases, Psychiatric Disorders, Alcohol Use Disorders, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Stroke: An Update. Cells 2020; 9:cells9040870. [PMID: 32252470 PMCID: PMC7226777 DOI: 10.3390/cells9040870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation and cell death are among the common symptoms of many central nervous system diseases and injuries. Neuroinflammation and programmed cell death of the various cell types in the brain appear to be part of these disorders, and characteristic for each cell type, including neurons and glia cells. Concerning the effects of 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) on glial activation, as well as being associated with neuronal cell death, as a response mechanism to oxidative stress, the changes of its expression assayed with the aid of TSPO-specific positron emission tomography (PET) tracers' uptake could also offer evidence for following the pathogenesis of these disorders. This could potentially increase the number of diagnostic tests to accurately establish the stadium and development of the disease in question. Nonetheless, the differences in results regarding TSPO PET signals of first and second generations of tracers measured in patients with neurological disorders versus healthy controls indicate that we still have to understand more regarding TSPO characteristics. Expanding on investigations regarding the neuroprotective and healing effects of TSPO ligands could also contribute to a better understanding of the therapeutic potential of TSPO activity for brain damage due to brain injury and disease. Studies so far have directed attention to the effects on neurons and glia, and processes, such as death, inflammation, and regeneration. It is definitely worthwhile to drive such studies forward. From recent research it also appears that TSPO ligands, such as PK11195, Etifoxine, Emapunil, and 2-Cl-MGV-1, demonstrate the potential of targeting TSPO for treatments of brain diseases and disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmina Dimitrova-Shumkovska
- Department of Experimental Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University Ss Cyril and Methodius, Arhimedova 3, P.O. Box 162, 1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia;
- Correspondence: (J.D.-S.); (L.V.)
| | - Ljupcho Krstanoski
- Department of Experimental Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University Ss Cyril and Methodius, Arhimedova 3, P.O. Box 162, 1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia;
| | - Leo Veenman
- Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Rappaport Institute of Medical Research, 1 Efron Street, P.O. Box 9697, Haifa 31096, Israel
- Correspondence: (J.D.-S.); (L.V.)
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40
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Seiler N, Nguyen T, Yung A, O'Donoghue B. Terminology and assessment tools of psychosis: A systematic narrative review. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2020; 74:226-246. [PMID: 31846133 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
AIM Phenomena within the psychosis continuum that varies in frequency/duration/intensity have been increasingly identified. Different terms describe these phenomena, however there is no standardization within the terminology. This review evaluated the definitions and assessment tools of seven terms - (i) 'psychotic experiences'; (ii) 'psychotic-like experiences'; (iii) 'psychotic-like symptoms'; (iv) 'attenuated psychotic symptoms'; (v) 'prodromal psychotic symptoms'; (vi) 'psychotic symptomatology'; and (vii) 'psychotic symptoms'. METHODS EMBASE, MEDLINE, and CINAHL were searched during February-March 2019. Inclusion criteria included 1989-2019, full text, human, and English. Papers with no explicit definition or assessment tool, duplicates, conference abstracts, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, or no access were excluded. RESULTS A total of 2238 papers were identified and of these, 627 were included. Definitions and assessment tools varied, but some trends were found. Psychotic experiences and psychotic-like experiences were transient and mild, found in the general population and those at-risk. Psychotic-like symptoms were subthreshold and among at-risk populations and non-psychotic mental disorders. Attenuated psychotic symptoms were subthreshold but associated with distress, risk, and help-seeking. Prodromal psychotic symptoms referred to the prodrome of psychotic disorders. Psychotic symptomatology included delusions and hallucinations within psychotic disorders. Psychotic symptoms was the broadest term, encompassing a range of populations but most commonly involving hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, and disorganization. DISCUSSION A model for conceptualizing the required terms is proposed and future directions needed to advance this field of research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Seiler
- Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.,Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.,The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.,Orygen Youth Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Tony Nguyen
- Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.,Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.,The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.,Orygen Youth Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Alison Yung
- Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.,Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.,Orygen Youth Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Brian O'Donoghue
- Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.,Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.,Orygen Youth Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia
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V. Giridharan V, Scaini G, Colpo GD, Doifode T, F. Pinjari O, Teixeira AL, Petronilho F, Macêdo D, Quevedo J, Barichello T. Clozapine Prevents Poly (I:C) Induced Inflammation by Modulating NLRP3 Pathway in Microglial Cells. Cells 2020; 9:E577. [PMID: 32121312 PMCID: PMC7140445 DOI: 10.3390/cells9030577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder that exhibits an interconnection between the immune system and the brain. Experimental and clinical studies have suggested the presence of neuroinflammation in schizophrenia. In the present study, the effect of antipsychotic drugs, including clozapine, risperidone, and haloperidol (10, 20 and 20 μM, respectively), on the production of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, IL-18, INF-γ, and TNF-α was investigated in the unstimulated and polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidilic acid [poly (I:C)]-stimulated primary microglial cell cultures. In the unstimulated cultures, clozapine, risperidone, and haloperidol did not influence the cytokine levels. Nevertheless, in cell cultures under strong inflammatory activation by poly (I:C), clozapine reduced the levels of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, and IL-17. Risperidone and haloperidol both reduced the levels of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, and IL-17, and increased the levels of IL-6, IL-10, INF-γ, and TNF-α. Based on the results that were obtained with the antipsychotic drugs and observing that clozapine presented with a more significant anti-inflammatory effect, clozapine was selected for the subsequent experiments. We compared the profile of cytokine suppression obtained with the use of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor, CRID3 to that obtained with clozapine, to test our hypothesis that clozapine inhibits the NLRP3 inflammasome. Clozapine and CRID3 both reduced the IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, and IL-17 levels. Clozapine reduced the level of poly (I:C)-activated NLRP3 expression by 57%, which was higher than the reduction thay was seen with CRID3 treatment (45%). These results suggest that clozapine might exhibit anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome and this activity is not typical with the use of other antipsychotic drugs under the conditions of strong microglial activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijayasree V. Giridharan
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77054, USA; (V.V.G.); (G.S.); (G.D.C.); (T.D.); (O.F.P.); (A.L.T.); (J.Q.)
| | - Giselli Scaini
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77054, USA; (V.V.G.); (G.S.); (G.D.C.); (T.D.); (O.F.P.); (A.L.T.); (J.Q.)
| | - Gabriela D. Colpo
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77054, USA; (V.V.G.); (G.S.); (G.D.C.); (T.D.); (O.F.P.); (A.L.T.); (J.Q.)
| | - Tejaswini Doifode
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77054, USA; (V.V.G.); (G.S.); (G.D.C.); (T.D.); (O.F.P.); (A.L.T.); (J.Q.)
| | - Omar F. Pinjari
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77054, USA; (V.V.G.); (G.S.); (G.D.C.); (T.D.); (O.F.P.); (A.L.T.); (J.Q.)
| | - Antônio L. Teixeira
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77054, USA; (V.V.G.); (G.S.); (G.D.C.); (T.D.); (O.F.P.); (A.L.T.); (J.Q.)
| | - Fabricia Petronilho
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Inflammatory and Metabolic Processes, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Health Sciences Unit, University of South Santa Catarina, Tubarão, SC 88700-000, Brazil;
| | - Danielle Macêdo
- Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research, and Development Center, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil; National Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM, CNPq), Ribeirão Preto, SP 14000-000, Brazil;
| | - João Quevedo
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77054, USA; (V.V.G.); (G.S.); (G.D.C.); (T.D.); (O.F.P.); (A.L.T.); (J.Q.)
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, SC 88800-000, Brazil
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77054, USA
| | - Tatiana Barichello
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77054, USA; (V.V.G.); (G.S.); (G.D.C.); (T.D.); (O.F.P.); (A.L.T.); (J.Q.)
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathophysiology, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina, Criciúma, SC 88800-000, Brazil
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Hughes H, Ashwood P. Overlapping evidence of innate immune dysfunction in psychotic and affective disorders. Brain Behav Immun Health 2020; 2:100038. [PMID: 34589829 PMCID: PMC8474635 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2020.100038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Disturbances of the immune system and immune responses after activation are a common finding in neuropsychiatric disorders. Psychotic and affective disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) also share high rates of comorbidity with inflammatory and metabolic disorders. Evidence of elevated circulating inflammatory cytokines, altered numbers and function of immune cells, and evidence of neuroinflammation including activation of microglia in the brain have been found in patients with SCZ, BD and MDD. Often these findings correlate to psychological state at the time of measurement. However, significant variation exists across these studies in many aspects, creating challenges in identifying a specific signature of immune dysfunction in these disorders. Innate immune dysfunction, and alterations in monocytes, the critical sentinel cells of the innate immune system, have been seen repeatedly in all three of these disorders, with frequent overlap in findings. In this review, dysfunction specific to the innate arm of the immune system is compared for overlapping evidence across three major psychotic and affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- H.K. Hughes
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - P. Ashwood
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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De Picker L, Morrens M. Perspective: Solving the Heterogeneity Conundrum of TSPO PET Imaging in Psychosis. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:362. [PMID: 32425835 PMCID: PMC7206714 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Positron emission tomography using ligands targeting translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO PET) is an innovative method to visualize and quantify glial inflammatory responses in the central nervous system in vivo. Compared to some other neuropsychiatric disorders, findings of TSPO PET in schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders have been considerably more heterogeneous. Two conflicting meta-analyses have been published on the topic within the last year: one asserting evidence for decreased TSPO uptake, while the other observed increased TSPO uptake in a selection of studies. In this paper, we review and discuss five hypotheses which may explain the observed variability of TSPO PET findings in psychotic illness, namely that (1) an inflammatory phenotype is only present in a subgroup of psychosis patients; (2) heterogeneity is caused by interference of antipsychotic medication; (3) interference of other clinical confounders in the study populations (such as age, sex, BMI, smoking, and substance use); or (4) methodological variability between studies (such as choice of tracer and kinetic model, genotyping, study power, and diurnal effects); and (5) the glial responses underlying changes in TSPO expression are themselves heterogeneous and dynamic. Finally, we propose four key recommendations for future research proposals to mitigate these different causes of heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia De Picker
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,SINAPS, University Psychiatric Hospital Campus Duffel, Duffel, Belgium
| | - Manuel Morrens
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,SINAPS, University Psychiatric Hospital Campus Duffel, Duffel, Belgium
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Ellis JK, Walker EF, Goldsmith DR. Selective Review of Neuroimaging Findings in Youth at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis: On the Path to Biomarkers for Conversion. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:567534. [PMID: 33173516 PMCID: PMC7538833 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.567534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
First episode psychosis (FEP), and subsequent diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, predominantly occurs during late adolescence, is accompanied by a significant decline in function and represents a traumatic experience for patients and families alike. Prior to first episode psychosis, most patients experience a prodromal period of 1-2 years, during which symptoms first appear and then progress. During that time period, subjects are referred to as being at Clinical High Risk (CHR), as a prodromal period can only be designated in hindsight in those who convert. The clinical high-risk period represents a critical window during which interventions may be targeted to slow or prevent conversion to psychosis. However, only one third of subjects at clinical high risk will convert to psychosis and receive a formal diagnosis of a primary psychotic disorder. Therefore, in order for targeted interventions to be developed and applied, predicting who among this population will convert is of critical importance. To date, a variety of neuroimaging modalities have identified numerous differences between CHR subjects and healthy controls. However, complicating attempts at predicting conversion are increasingly recognized co-morbidities, such as major depressive disorder, in a significant number of CHR subjects. The result of this is that phenotypes discovered between CHR subjects and healthy controls are likely non-specific to psychosis and generalized for major mental illness. In this paper, we selectively review evidence for neuroimaging phenotypes in CHR subjects who later converted to psychosis. We then evaluate the recent landscape of machine learning as it relates to neuroimaging phenotypes in predicting conversion to psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin K Ellis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Elaine F Walker
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - David R Goldsmith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Da Silva T, Hafizi S, Watts JJ, Weickert CS, Meyer JH, Houle S, Rusjan P, Mizrahi R. In Vivo Imaging of Translocator Protein in Long-term Cannabis Users. JAMA Psychiatry 2019; 76:1305-1313. [PMID: 31532458 PMCID: PMC6751758 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.2516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in the world. Cannabinoids have been shown to modulate immune responses; however, the association of cannabis with neuroimmune function has never been investigated in vivo in the human brain. OBJECTIVE To investigate neuroimmune activation or 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) levels in long-term cannabis users, and to evaluate the association of brain TSPO levels with behavioral measures and inflammatory blood biomarkers. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cross-sectional study based in Toronto, Ontario, recruited individuals from January 1, 2015, to October 30, 2018. Participants included long-term cannabis users (n = 24) and non-cannabis-using controls (n = 27). Cannabis users were included if they had a positive urine drug screen for only cannabis and if they used cannabis at least 4 times per week for the past 12 months and/or met the criteria for cannabis use disorder. All participants underwent a positron emission tomography scan with [18F]FEPPA, or fluorine F 18-labeled N-(2-(2-fluoroethoxy)benzyl)-N-(4-phenoxypyridin-3-yl)acetamide. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Total distribution volume was quantified across regions of interest. Stress and anxiety as well as peripheral measures of inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein levels were also measured. RESULTS In total, 24 long-term cannabis users (mean [SD] age, 23.1 [3.8] years; 15 men [63%]) and 27 non-cannabis-using controls (mean [SD] age, 23.6 [4.2] years; 18 women [67%]) were included and completed all study procedures. Compared with the controls, cannabis users had higher [18F]FEPPA total distribution volume (main group effect: F1,48 = 6.5 [P = .01]; ROI effect: F1,200 = 28.4 [P < .001]; Cohen d = 0.6; 23.3% higher), with a more prominent implication for the cannabis use disorder subgroup (n = 15; main group effect: F1,39 = 8.5 [P = .006]; ROI effect: F1,164 = 19.3 [P < .001]; Cohen d = 0.8; 31.5% higher). Greater TSPO levels in the brain were associated with stress and anxiety and with higher circulating C-reactive protein levels in cannabis users. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The results of this study suggest that TSPO levels in cannabis users, particularly in those with cannabis use disorder, are higher than those in non-cannabis-using controls. The findings emphasize the need for more complementary preclinical systems for a better understanding of the role of cannabinoids and TSPO in neuroimmune signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Da Silva
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sina Hafizi
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jeremy J. Watts
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cynthia Shannon Weickert
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia,School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Jeffrey H. Meyer
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sylvain Houle
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pablo Rusjan
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Romina Mizrahi
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Cotton SM, Berk M, Watson A, Wood S, Allott K, Bartholomeusz CF, Bortolasci CC, Walder K, O'Donoghue B, Dean OM, Chanen A, Amminger GP, McGorry PD, Burnside A, Uren J, Ratheesh A, Dodd S. ENACT: a protocol for a randomised placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy and mechanisms of action of adjunctive N-acetylcysteine for first-episode psychosis. Trials 2019; 20:658. [PMID: 31779696 PMCID: PMC6883553 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-019-3786-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND First-episode psychosis (FEP) may lead to a progressive, potentially disabling and lifelong chronic illness; however, evidence suggests that the illness course can be improved if appropriate treatments are given at the early stages. Nonetheless, the efficacy of antipsychotic medications is suboptimal, particularly for negative and cognitive symptoms, and more efficacious and benign treatments are needed. Previous studies have shown that the antioxidant amino acid N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reduces negative symptoms and improves functioning in chronic schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Research is scarce as to whether NAC is beneficial earlier in the course of illness. The primary aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of treatment with adjunctive NAC (2 g/day for 26 weeks) compared with placebo to improve psychiatric symptoms in young people experiencing FEP. Secondary aims are to explore the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning NAC and how they relate to various clinical and functional outcomes at 26- and 52-week follow-ups. METHODS/DESIGN ENACT is a 26-week, randomised controlled trial of adjunctive NAC versus placebo, with a 26-week non-treatment follow-up period, for FEP. We will be recruiting 162 young people aged 15-25 years who have recently presented to, and are being treated at, the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre, Melbourne, Australia. The primary outcome is the Total Score on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale which will be administered at baseline, and weeks 4, 8, 12, 26 (primary endpoint), and 52 (end of study). Secondary outcomes include: symptomatology, functioning, quality of life, neurocognition, blood-derived measures of: inflammation, oxidative and nitrosative stress, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy measures of glutathione concentration. DISCUSSION Targeted drug development for FEP to date has generally not involved the exploration of neuroprotective agents. This study has the potential to offer a new, safe, and efficacious treatment for people with FEP, leading to better treatment outcomes. Additionally, the neuroprotective dimension of this study may lead to a better long-term prognosis for people with FEP. It has the potential to uncover a novel treatment that targets the neurobiological mechanisms of FEP and, if successful, will be a major advance for psychiatry. TRIAL REGISTRATION Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ID: ACTRN12618000413224. Registered on 21 March 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Cotton
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - M Berk
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University, School of Medicine, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Psychiatry and the Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - A Watson
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - S Wood
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
| | - K Allott
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - C F Bartholomeusz
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - C C Bortolasci
- Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - K Walder
- Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - B O'Donoghue
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - O M Dean
- Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University, School of Medicine, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Psychiatry and the Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - A Chanen
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - G P Amminger
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - P D McGorry
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - A Burnside
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - J Uren
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - A Ratheesh
- Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Poplar Road), Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - S Dodd
- Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University, School of Medicine, Geelong, VIC, Australia
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Schifani C, Hafizi S, Tseng HH, Gerritsen C, Kenk M, Wilson AA, Houle S, Rusjan PM, Mizrahi R. Preliminary data indicating a connection between stress-induced prefrontal dopamine release and hippocampal TSPO expression in the psychosis spectrum. Schizophr Res 2019; 213:80-86. [PMID: 30409695 PMCID: PMC6500775 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Prolonged stress can cause neuronal loss in the hippocampus resulting in disinhibition of glutamatergic neurons proposed to enhance dopaminergic firing in subcortical regions including striatal areas. Supporting this, imaging studies show increased striatal dopamine release in response to psychosocial stress in healthy individuals with low childhood maternal care, individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) and patients with schizophrenia. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is connected to the hippocampus and a key region to control neurochemical responses to stressful stimuli. We recently reported a disrupted PFC dopamine-stress regulation in schizophrenia, which was intact in CHR. Given the available evidence on the link between psychosocial stress, PFC dopamine release and hippocampal immune activation in psychosis, we explored, for the first time in vivo, whether stress-induced PFC dopamine release is associated with hippocampal TSPO expression (a neuroimmune marker) in the psychosis spectrum. We used an overlapping sample of antipsychotic-naïve subjects with CHR (n = 6) and antipsychotic-free schizophrenia patients (n = 9) from our previously published studies, measuring PFC dopamine release induced by a psychosocial stress task with [11C]FLB457 positron emission tomography (PET) and TSPO expression with [18F]FEPPA PET. We observed that participants on the psychosis spectrum with lower stress-induced dopamine release in PFC had significantly higher TSPO expression in hippocampus (β = -2.39, SE = 0.96, F(1,11) = 6.17, p = 0.030). Additionally, we report a positive association between stress-induced PFC dopamine release, controlled for hippocampal TSPO expression, and Global Assessment of Functioning. This is the first exploration of the relationship between PFC dopamine release and hippocampal TSPO expression in vivo in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christin Schifani
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sina Hafizi
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Huai-Hsuan Tseng
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cory Gerritsen
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Miran Kenk
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alan A. Wilson
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sylvain Houle
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pablo M. Rusjan
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Romina Mizrahi
- Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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A longitudinal neurite and free water imaging study in patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1932-1939. [PMID: 31153156 PMCID: PMC6785103 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0427-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies show widespread white matter abnormalities in schizophrenia, but it is difficult to directly relate these parameters to biological processes. Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) is geared toward biophysical characterization of white matter microstructure, but only few studies have leveraged this technique to study white matter alterations. We recruited 42 schizophrenia patients (30 antipsychotic-naïve and 12 currently untreated) and 42 matched controls in this prospective study. We assessed the orientation dispersion index (ODI) and extracellular free water (FW) using single-shell DTI data before and after a 6-week trial of risperidone. Longitudinal data were available for 27 patients. Voxelwise analyses showed significantly increased ODI in the posterior limb of the internal capsule in unmedicated patients (242 voxels; x = -24; y = 6; z = 6; p < 0.01; α < 0.04), but no alterations in FW. Whole brain measures did not reveal alterations in ODI but a 6.3% trend-level increase in FW in unmedicated SZ (t = -1.873; p = 0.07). Baseline ODI was negatively correlated with subsequent response to antipsychotic treatment (r = -0.38; p = 0.049). Here, we demonstrated altered fiber complexity in medication-naïve and unmedicated patients with a schizophrenia spectrum illness. Lesser whole brain fiber uniformity was predictive of poor response to treatment, suggesting this measure may be a clinically relevant biomarker. Interestingly, we found no significant changes in NODDI indices after short-term treatment with risperidone. Our data show that biophysical diffusion models have promise for the in vivo evaluation of brain microstructure in this devastating neuropsychiatric syndrome.
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Marques TR, Ashok AH, Pillinger T, Veronese M, Turkheimer FE, Dazzan P, Sommer IE, Howes OD. Neuroinflammation in schizophrenia: meta-analysis of in vivo microglial imaging studies. Psychol Med 2019; 49:2186-2196. [PMID: 30355368 PMCID: PMC6366560 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291718003057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Revised: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Converging lines of evidence implicate an important role for the immune system in schizophrenia. Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system and have many functions including neuroinflammation, axonal guidance and neurotrophic support. We aimed to provide a quantitative review of in vivo PET imaging studies of microglia activation in patients with schizophrenia compared with healthy controls. METHODS Demographic, clinical and imaging measures were extracted from each study and meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model (Hedge's g). The difference in 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) binding between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, as quantified by either binding potential (BP) or volume of distribution (VT), was used as the main outcome. Sub-analysis and sensitivity analysis were carried out to investigate the effects of genotype, ligand and illness stage. RESULTS In total, 12 studies comprising 190 patients with schizophrenia and 200 healthy controls met inclusion criteria. There was a significant elevation in tracer binding in schizophrenia patients relative to controls when BP was used as an outcome measure, (Hedge's g = 0.31; p = 0.03) but no significant differences when VT was used (Hedge's g = -0.22; p = 0.29). CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, there is evidence for moderate elevations in TSPO tracer binding in grey matter relative to other brain tissue in schizophrenia when using BP as an outcome measure, but no difference when VT is the outcome measure. We discuss the relevance of these findings as well as the methodological issues that may underlie the contrasting difference between these outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Reis Marques
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Abhishekh H Ashok
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Toby Pillinger
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Mattia Veronese
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Federico E. Turkheimer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Paola Dazzan
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Iris E.C. Sommer
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
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