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Als TD, Kurki MI, Grove J, Voloudakis G, Therrien K, Tasanko E, Nielsen TT, Naamanka J, Veerapen K, Levey DF, Bendl J, Bybjerg-Grauholm J, Zeng B, Demontis D, Rosengren A, Athanasiadis G, Bækved-Hansen M, Qvist P, Bragi Walters G, Thorgeirsson T, Stefánsson H, Musliner KL, Rajagopal VM, Farajzadeh L, Thirstrup J, Vilhjálmsson BJ, McGrath JJ, Mattheisen M, Meier S, Agerbo E, Stefánsson K, Nordentoft M, Werge T, Hougaard DM, Mortensen PB, Stein MB, Gelernter J, Hovatta I, Roussos P, Daly MJ, Mors O, Palotie A, Børglum AD. Depression pathophysiology, risk prediction of recurrence and comorbid psychiatric disorders using genome-wide analyses. Nat Med 2023; 29:1832-1844. [PMID: 37464041 PMCID: PMC10839245 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02352-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Depression is a common psychiatric disorder and a leading cause of disability worldwide. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of six datasets, including >1.3 million individuals (371,184 with depression) and identified 243 risk loci. Overall, 64 loci were new, including genes encoding glutamate and GABA receptors, which are targets for antidepressant drugs. Intersection with functional genomics data prioritized likely causal genes and revealed new enrichment of prenatal GABAergic neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocyte lineages. We found depression to be highly polygenic, with ~11,700 variants explaining 90% of the single-nucleotide polymorphism heritability, estimating that >95% of risk variants for other psychiatric disorders (anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) were influencing depression risk when both concordant and discordant variants were considered, and nearly all depression risk variants influenced educational attainment. Additionally, depression genetic risk was associated with impaired complex cognition domains. We dissected the genetic and clinical heterogeneity, revealing distinct polygenic architectures across subgroups of depression and demonstrating significantly increased absolute risks for recurrence and psychiatric comorbidity among cases of depression with the highest polygenic burden, with considerable sex differences. The risks were up to 5- and 32-fold higher than cases with the lowest polygenic burden and the background population, respectively. These results deepen the understanding of the biology underlying depression, its disease progression and inform precision medicine approaches to treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Als
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Mitja I Kurki
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jakob Grove
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark
- Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Georgios Voloudakis
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 2 South), James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Karen Therrien
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 2 South), James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elisa Tasanko
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, SleepWell Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Trine Tollerup Nielsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Joonas Naamanka
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, SleepWell Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kumar Veerapen
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel F Levey
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jaroslav Bendl
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jonas Bybjerg-Grauholm
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Neonatal Screening, Department for Congenital Disorders, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Biao Zeng
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ditte Demontis
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Anders Rosengren
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Mental Health Centre Sct. Hans, Capital Region of Denmark, Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Georgios Athanasiadis
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Mental Health Centre Sct. Hans, Capital Region of Denmark, Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marie Bækved-Hansen
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Neonatal Screening, Department for Congenital Disorders, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Per Qvist
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | | | | | - Katherine L Musliner
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- National Centre for Register-Based Research (NCRR), Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Affective Disorders, Aarhus University Hospital-Psychiatry, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Veera M Rajagopal
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Leila Farajzadeh
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Janne Thirstrup
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Bjarni J Vilhjálmsson
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - John J McGrath
- National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park Centre for Mental Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Manuel Mattheisen
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics (IPPG), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Sandra Meier
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Esben Agerbo
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- National Centre for Register-Based Research (NCRR), Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Integrated Register-based Research, CIRRAU, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Merete Nordentoft
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas Werge
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Mental Health Centre Sct. Hans, Capital Region of Denmark, Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Institute of Clinical Sciences and GLOBE Institute, LF Center for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - David M Hougaard
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Neonatal Screening, Department for Congenital Disorders, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Preben B Mortensen
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- National Centre for Register-Based Research (NCRR), Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Integrated Register-based Research, CIRRAU, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Murray B Stein
- Psychiatry Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
- Departments of Psychiatry and Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Iiris Hovatta
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, SleepWell Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Panos Roussos
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 2 South), James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Center for Dementia Research, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Mark J Daly
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ole Mors
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital-Psychiatry, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Aarno Palotie
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anders D Børglum
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark.
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Yu X, Gao Z, Gao M, Qiao M. Bibliometric Analysis on GABA-A Receptors Research Based on CiteSpace and VOSviewer. J Pain Res 2023; 16:2101-2114. [PMID: 37361426 PMCID: PMC10289248 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s409380] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background GABA-A receptors are the primary mediators of brain inhibitory neurotransmission. In the past years, many studies focused on this channel to decipher the pathogenesis of related diseases but lacked bibliometric analysis research. This study aims to explore the research status and identify the research trends of GABA-A receptor channels. Methods Publications related to GABA-A receptor channels were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection from 2012 to 2022. After screening, the VOSviewer 1.6.18 and Citespace 5.8 R3 were used for bibliometric analysis from journals, countries, institutions, authors, co-cited references and keywords. Results We included 12,124 publications in the field of GABA-A receptor channels for analysis. The data shows that although there was a slight decrease in annual publications from 2012 to 2021, it remained at a relatively high level. Most publications were in the domain of neuroscience. Additionally, the United States was the most prolific country, followed by China. Univ Toronto was the most productive institution, and James M Cook led essential findings in this field. Furthermore, brain activation, GABAAR subunits expression, modulation mechanism in pain and anxiety behaviors and GABA and dopamine were paid attention to by researchers. And top research frontiers were molecular docking, autoimmune encephalitic series, obesity, sex difference, diagnosis and management, EEG and KCC2. Conclusion Taken together, academic attention on GABA-A receptor channels was never neglected since 2012. Our analysis identified key information, such as core countries, institutions and authors in this field. Molecular docking, autoimmune encephalitic series, obesity, sex difference, diagnosis and management, EEG and KCC2 will be the future research direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xufeng Yu
- College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhan Gao
- College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Mingzhou Gao
- Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Mingqi Qiao
- College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China
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Bhattacharya D, Bartley AF, Li Q, Dobrunz LE. Bicuculline restores frequency-dependent hippocampal I/E ratio and circuit function in PGC-1ɑ null mice. Neurosci Res 2022; 184:9-18. [PMID: 35842011 PMCID: PMC10865982 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2022.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Altered inhibition/excitation (I/E) balance contributes to various brain disorders. Dysfunctional GABAergic interneurons enhance or reduce inhibition, resulting in I/E imbalances. Differences in short-term plasticity between excitation and inhibition cause frequency-dependence of the I/E ratio, which can be altered by GABAergic dysfunction. However, it is unknown whether I/E imbalances can be rescued pharmacologically using a single dose when the imbalance magnitude is frequency-dependent. Loss of PGC-1α (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ coactivator 1α) causes transcriptional dysregulation in hippocampal GABAergic interneurons. PGC-1α-/- slices have enhanced baseline inhibition onto CA1 pyramidal cells, causing increased I/E ratio and impaired circuit function. High frequency stimulation reduces the I/E ratio and recovers circuit function in PGC-1α-/- slices. Here we tested if using a low dose of bicuculline that can restore baseline I/E ratio can also rescue the frequency-dependent I/E imbalances in these mice. Remarkably, bicuculline did not reduce the I/E ratio below that of wild type during high frequency stimulation. Interestingly, bicuculline enhanced the paired-pulse ratio (PPR) of disynaptic inhibition without changing the monosynaptic inhibition PPR, suggesting that bicuculline modifies interneuron recruitment and not GABA release. Bicuculline improved CA1 output in PGC-1α-/- slices, enhancing EPSP-spike coupling to wild type levels at high and low frequencies. Our results show that it is possible to rescue frequency-dependent I/E imbalances in an animal model of transcriptional dysregulation with a single treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dwipayan Bhattacharya
- Department of Neurobiology, Civitan International Research Center, and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1825 University Blvd., Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Aundrea F Bartley
- Department of Neurobiology, Civitan International Research Center, and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1825 University Blvd., Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Qin Li
- Department of Neurobiology, Civitan International Research Center, and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1825 University Blvd., Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Lynn E Dobrunz
- Department of Neurobiology, Civitan International Research Center, and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1825 University Blvd., Birmingham, AL, United States.
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Snelleksz M, Rossell SL, Gibbons A, Nithianantharajah J, Dean B. Evidence that the frontal pole has a significant role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2022; 317:114850. [PMID: 36174274 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114850] [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: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Different regions of the cortex have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Recently published data suggested there are many more changes in gene expression in the frontal pole (Brodmann's Area (BA) 10) compared to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA 9) and the anterior cingulate cortex (BA 33) from patients with schizophrenia. These data argued that the frontal pole is significantly affected by the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The frontal pole is a region necessary for higher cognitive functions and is highly interconnected with many other brain regions. In this review we summarise the growing body of evidence to support the hypothesis that a dysfunctional frontal pole, due at least in part to its widespread effects on brain function, is making an important contribution to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. We detail the many structural, cellular and molecular abnormalities in the frontal pole from people with schizophrenia and present findings that argue the symptoms of schizophrenia are closely linked to dysfunction in this critical brain region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Snelleksz
- Synaptic Biology and Cognition Laboratory, The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; The Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Susan L Rossell
- Centre for Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew Gibbons
- The Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jess Nithianantharajah
- The Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Brian Dean
- Synaptic Biology and Cognition Laboratory, The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; The Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
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Disrupted GABAergic facilitation of working memory performance in people with schizophrenia. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 25:102127. [PMID: 31864216 PMCID: PMC6928454 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
As in a previous study, higher GABA concentrations in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) were associated with better working memory (WM) in healthy participants. Despite no overall group difference in DLPFC GABA concentrations, people with schizophrenia showed significantly different inverse associations, with higher DLPFC GABA associated with worse rather than better WM. This opposite pattern of correlations despite a lack of group differences suggests that schizophrenia alters the distribution of different classes of GABAergic interneurons rather than producing a general deficit across the total population of neurons.
Objectives Gamma-Amiobutyric acid (GABA) is a primary inhibitory neurotransmitter that facilitates neural oscillations that coordinate neural activity between brain networks to facilitate cognition. The present magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study tests the hypothesis that GABAergic facilitation of working memory is disrupted in people with schizophrenia (PSZ). Methods 51 healthy participants and 40 PSZ from the UC Davis Early Psychosis Program performed an item and temporal order working memory (WM) task and underwent resting MRS to measure GABA and glutamate concentrations in dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPFC) and anterior cingulate (ACC) regions of interest. MRS was acquired on a 3 Tesla Siemens scanner and GABA and glutamate concentrations were referenced to creatine. Percent correct on the WM task indexed performance and correlation coefficients examined GABAergic or Glutamatergic facilitation of WM, with Fisher's Z transformation testing for group differences. Results There were no group differences in GABA or glutamate concentrations, but WM correlations were reversed between groups. In patients, higher DLPFC GABA was associated with worse rather than better WM performance. This pattern was not observed for glutamate or in the ACC. Although under-powered, there was no indication of medication effects. Conclusions and Relevance Results cannot be explained by group differences in DLPFC GABA or glutamate concentrations but, instead, indicate that schizophrenia disrupts the GABAergic facilitation of WM seen in healthy individuals. Results appear to parallel post mortem findings in suggesting that schizophrenia alters the distribution of different classes of GABAergic interneurons rather than producing a general deficit across the total population of neurons.
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Sieghart W, Savić MM. International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. CVI: GABAA Receptor Subtype- and Function-selective Ligands: Key Issues in Translation to Humans. Pharmacol Rev 2018; 70:836-878. [DOI: 10.1124/pr.117.014449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
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Page CE, Coutellier L. Reducing inhibition: A promising new strategy for the treatment of schizophrenia. EBioMedicine 2018; 35:25-26. [PMID: 30131309 PMCID: PMC6161475 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.07.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Chloe E Page
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Laurence Coutellier
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
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Chaussenot R, Amar M, Fossier P, Vaillend C. Dp71-Dystrophin Deficiency Alters Prefrontal Cortex Excitation-Inhibition Balance and Executive Functions. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 56:2670-2684. [PMID: 30051354 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1259-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
In the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) syndrome, mutations affecting expression of Dp71, the main dystrophin isoform of the multipromoter dmd gene in brain, have been associated with intellectual disability and neuropsychiatric disturbances. Patients' profile suggests alterations in prefrontal cortex-dependent executive processes, but the specific dysfunctions due to Dp71 deficiency are unclear. Dp71 is involved in brain ion homeostasis, and its deficiency is expected to increase neuronal excitability, which might compromise the integrity of neuronal networks undertaking high-order cognitive functions. Here, we used electrophysiological (patch clamp) and behavioral techniques in a transgenic mouse that display a selective loss of Dp71 and no muscular dystrophy, to identify changes in prefrontal cortex excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance and putative executive dysfunctions. We found prefrontal cortex E/I balance is shifted toward enhanced excitation in Dp71-null mice. This is associated with a selective alteration of AMPA receptor-mediated glutamatergic transmission and reduced synaptic plasticity, while inhibitory transmission is unaffected. Moreover, Dp71-null mice display deficits in cognitive processes that depend on prefrontal cortex integrity, such as cognitive flexibility and sensitivity of spatial working memory to proactive interference. Our data suggest that impaired cortical E/I balance and executive dysfunctions contribute to the intellectual and behavioral disturbances associated with Dp71 deficiency in DMD, in line with current neurobehavioral models considering these functions as key pathophysiological factors in various neurodevelopmental disorders. These new insights in DMD neurobiology also suggest new directions for therapeutic developments targeting excitatory neurotransmission, as well as for guidance of academic environment in severely affected DMD children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémi Chaussenot
- Neuroscience Paris-Saclay Institute (Neuro-PSI), UMR 9197, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Muriel Amar
- Neuroscience Paris-Saclay Institute (Neuro-PSI), UMR 9197, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France.,Laboratoire de Toxinologie moléculaire et Biotechnologies, Institut des Sciences du Vivant Frédéric Joliot, CEA de Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Philippe Fossier
- Neuroscience Paris-Saclay Institute (Neuro-PSI), UMR 9197, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Cyrille Vaillend
- Neuroscience Paris-Saclay Institute (Neuro-PSI), UMR 9197, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France.
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Xu MY, Wong AHC. GABAergic inhibitory neurons as therapeutic targets for cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2018; 39:733-753. [PMID: 29565038 DOI: 10.1038/aps.2017.172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is considered primarily as a cognitive disorder. However, functional outcomes in schizophrenia are limited by the lack of effective pharmacological and psychosocial interventions for cognitive impairment. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) interneurons are the main inhibitory neurons in the central nervous system (CNS), and they play a critical role in a variety of pathophysiological processes including modulation of cortical and hippocampal neural circuitry and activity, cognitive function-related neural oscillations (eg, gamma oscillations) and information integration and processing. Dysfunctional GABA interneuron activity can disrupt the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance in the cortex, which could represent a core pathophysiological mechanism underlying cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Recent research suggests that selective modulation of the GABAergic system is a promising intervention for the treatment of schizophrenia-associated cognitive defects. In this review, we summarized evidence from postmortem and animal studies for abnormal GABAergic neurotransmission in schizophrenia, and how altered GABA interneurons could disrupt neuronal oscillations. Next, we systemically reviewed a variety of up-to-date subtype-selective agonists, antagonists, positive and negative allosteric modulators (including dual allosteric modulators) for α5/α3/α2 GABAA and GABAB receptors, and summarized their pro-cognitive effects in animal behavioral tests and clinical trials. Finally, we also discuss various representative histone deacetylases (HDAC) inhibitors that target GABA system through epigenetic modulations, GABA prodrug and presynaptic GABA transporter inhibitors. This review provides important information on current potential GABA-associated therapies and future insights for development of more effective treatments.
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Abdul Wahab NA, Zakaria MN, Abdul Rahman AH, Sidek D, Wahab S. Listening to Sentences in Noise: Revealing Binaural Hearing Challenges in Patients with Schizophrenia. Psychiatry Investig 2017; 14:786-794. [PMID: 29209382 PMCID: PMC5714720 DOI: 10.4306/pi.2017.14.6.786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2016] [Revised: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The present, case-control, study investigates binaural hearing performance in schizophrenia patients towards sentences presented in quiet and noise. METHODS Participants were twenty-one healthy controls and sixteen schizophrenia patients with normal peripheral auditory functions. The binaural hearing was examined in four listening conditions by using the Malay version of hearing in noise test. The syntactically and semantically correct sentences were presented via headphones to the randomly selected subjects. In each condition, the adaptively obtained reception thresholds for speech (RTS) were used to determine RTS noise composite and spatial release from masking. RESULTS Schizophrenia patients demonstrated significantly higher mean RTS value relative to healthy controls (p=0.018). The large effect size found in three listening conditions, i.e., in quiet (d=1.07), noise right (d=0.88) and noise composite (d=0.90) indicates statistically significant difference between the groups. However, noise front and noise left conditions show medium (d=0.61) and small (d=0.50) effect size respectively. No statistical difference between groups was noted in regards to spatial release from masking on right (p=0.305) and left (p=0.970) ear. CONCLUSION The present findings suggest an abnormal unilateral auditory processing in central auditory pathway in schizophrenia patients. Future studies to explore the role of binaural and spatial auditory processing were recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noor Alaudin Abdul Wahab
- Audiology Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
- Audiology Programme, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Mohd. Normani Zakaria
- Audiology Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Abdul Hamid Abdul Rahman
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Dinsuhaimi Sidek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, School of Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Suzaily Wahab
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Chesworth R, Karl T. Molecular Basis of Cannabis-Induced Schizophrenia-Relevant Behaviours: Insights from Animal Models. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40473-017-0120-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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12
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Bast T, Pezze M, McGarrity S. Cognitive deficits caused by prefrontal cortical and hippocampal neural disinhibition. Br J Pharmacol 2017; 174:3211-3225. [PMID: 28477384 DOI: 10.1111/bph.13850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Revised: 03/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We review recent evidence concerning the significance of inhibitory GABA transmission and of neural disinhibition, that is, deficient GABA transmission, within the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, for clinically relevant cognitive functions. Both regions support important cognitive functions, including attention and memory, and their dysfunction has been implicated in cognitive deficits characterizing neuropsychiatric disorders. GABAergic inhibition shapes cortico-hippocampal neural activity, and, recently, prefrontal and hippocampal neural disinhibition has emerged as a pathophysiological feature of major neuropsychiatric disorders, especially schizophrenia and age-related cognitive decline. Regional neural disinhibition, disrupting spatio-temporal control of neural activity and causing aberrant drive of projections, may disrupt processing within the disinhibited region and efferent regions. Recent studies in rats showed that prefrontal and hippocampal neural disinhibition (by local GABA antagonist microinfusion) dysregulates burst firing, which has been associated with important aspects of neural information processing. Using translational tests of clinically relevant cognitive functions, these studies showed that prefrontal and hippocampal neural disinhibition disrupts regional cognitive functions (including prefrontal attention and hippocampal memory function). Moreover, hippocampal neural disinhibition disrupted attentional performance, which does not require the hippocampus but requires prefrontal-striatal circuits modulated by the hippocampus. However, some prefrontal and hippocampal functions (including inhibitory response control) are spared by regional disinhibition. We consider conceptual implications of these findings, regarding the distinct relationships of distinct cognitive functions to prefrontal and hippocampal GABA tone and neural activity. Moreover, the findings support the proposition that prefrontal and hippocampal neural disinhibition contributes to clinically relevant cognitive deficits, and we consider pharmacological strategies for ameliorating cognitive deficits by rebalancing disinhibition-induced aberrant neural activity. Linked Articles This article is part of a themed section on Pharmacology of Cognition: a Panacea for Neuropsychiatric Disease? To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.19/issuetoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Bast
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience @Nottingham, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Marie Pezze
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience @Nottingham, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Stephanie McGarrity
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience @Nottingham, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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Schür RR, Draisma LWR, Wijnen JP, Boks MP, Koevoets MGJC, Joëls M, Klomp DW, Kahn RS, Vinkers CH. Brain GABA levels across psychiatric disorders: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of (1) H-MRS studies. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37:3337-52. [PMID: 27145016 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Revised: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system is involved in the etiology of most psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). It is therefore not surprising that proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1) H-MRS) is increasingly used to investigate in vivo brain GABA levels. However, integration of the evidence for altered in vivo GABA levels across psychiatric disorders is lacking. We therefore systematically searched the clinical (1) H-MRS literature and performed a meta-analysis. A total of 40 studies (N = 1,591) in seven different psychiatric disorders were included in the meta-analysis: MDD (N = 437), schizophrenia (N = 517), ASD (N = 150), bipolar disorder (N = 129), panic disorder (N = 81), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (N = 104), and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (N = 173). Brain GABA levels were lower in ASD (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.74, P = 0.001) and in depressed MDD patients (SMD = -0.52, P = 0.005), but not in remitted MDD patients (SMD = -0.24, P = 0.310) compared with controls. In schizophrenia this finding did not reach statistical significance (SMD = -0.23, P = 0.089). No significant differences in GABA levels were found in bipolar disorder, panic disorder, PTSD, and ADHD compared with controls. In conclusion, this meta-analysis provided evidence for lower brain GABA levels in ASD and in depressed (but not remitted) MDD patients compared with healthy controls. Findings in schizophrenia were more equivocal. Even though future (1) H-MRS studies could greatly benefit from a longitudinal design and consensus on the preferred analytical approach, it is apparent that (1) H-MRS studies have great potential in advancing our understanding of the role of the GABA system in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3337-3352, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remmelt R Schür
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Luc W R Draisma
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jannie P Wijnen
- Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marco P Boks
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn G J C Koevoets
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marian Joëls
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Dennis W Klomp
- Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - René S Kahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Christiaan H Vinkers
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Sommer IE, Bearden CE, van Dellen E, Breetvelt EJ, Duijff SN, Maijer K, van Amelsvoort T, de Haan L, Gur RE, Arango C, Díaz-Caneja CM, Vinkers CH, Vorstman JA. Early interventions in risk groups for schizophrenia: what are we waiting for? NPJ SCHIZOPHRENIA 2016; 2:16003. [PMID: 27336054 PMCID: PMC4849435 DOI: 10.1038/npjschz.2016.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Intervention strategies in adolescents at ultra high-risk (UHR) for psychosis are promising for reducing conversion to overt illness, but have only limited impact on functional outcome. Recent studies suggest that cognition does not further decline during the UHR stage. As social and cognitive impairments typically develop before the first psychotic episode and even years before the UHR stage, prevention should also start much earlier in the groups at risk for schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Early intervention strategies could aim to improve stress resilience, optimize brain maturation, and prevent or alleviate adverse environmental circumstances. These strategies should urgently be tested for efficacy: the prevalence of ~1% implies that yearly ~22 in every 100,000 people develop overt symptoms of this illness, despite the fact that for many of them—e.g., children with an affected first-degree family member or carriers of specific genetic variants—increased risk was already identifiable early in life. Our current ability to recognize several risk groups at an early age not only provides an opportunity, but also implies a clinical imperative to act. Time is pressing to investigate preventive interventions in high-risk children to mitigate or prevent the development of schizophrenia and related psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris E Sommer
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht , Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Carrie E Bearden
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Departments of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Psychology, University of California , Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Edwin van Dellen
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht , Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Elemi J Breetvelt
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht , Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Sasja N Duijff
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht , Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Kim Maijer
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht , Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Therese van Amelsvoort
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University , Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Lieuwe de Haan
- Department of Psychiatry, Academic Psychiatric Centre, AMC , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Raquel E Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Celso Arango
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, IiSGM, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense , Madrid, Spain
| | - Covadonga M Díaz-Caneja
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, IiSGM, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense , Madrid, Spain
| | - Christiaan H Vinkers
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht , Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jacob As Vorstman
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht , Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Guiard BP, Di Giovanni G. Central serotonin-2A (5-HT2A) receptor dysfunction in depression and epilepsy: the missing link? Front Pharmacol 2015; 6:46. [PMID: 25852551 PMCID: PMC4362472 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2015.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
5-Hydroxytryptamine 2A receptors (5-HT2A-Rs) are G-protein coupled receptors. In agreement with their location in the brain, they have been implicated not only in various central physiological functions including memory, sleep, nociception, eating and reward behaviors, but also in many neuropsychiatric disorders. Interestingly, a bidirectional link between depression and epilepsy is suspected since patients with depression and especially suicide attempters have an increased seizure risk, while a significant percentage of epileptic patients suffer from depression. Such epidemiological data led us to hypothesize that both pathologies may share common anatomical and neurobiological alteration of the 5-HT2A signaling. After a brief presentation of the pharmacological properties of the 5-HT2A-Rs, this review illustrates how these receptors may directly or indirectly control neuronal excitability in most networks involved in depression and epilepsy through interactions with the monoaminergic, GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmissions. It also synthetizes the preclinical and clinical evidence demonstrating the role of these receptors in antidepressant and antiepileptic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno P Guiard
- CNRS, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, UMR 5169, Toulouse France ; CNRS, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale Université de Toulouse 3, UMR 5169, Toulouse, France ; INSERM U1178 Team ≪Depression and Antidepressants≫ Faculté de Pharmacie Paris Sud, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Neurophysiology Unit, Laboratory for the Study of Neurological Disorders, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Malta, Msida Malta ; School of Biosciences, University of Cardiff, Cardiff UK
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Kahn RS, Sommer IE. The neurobiology and treatment of first-episode schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry 2015; 20:84-97. [PMID: 25048005 PMCID: PMC4320288 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2014.66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 05/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
It is evident that once psychosis is present in patients with schizophrenia, the underlying biological process of the illness has already been ongoing for many years. At the time of diagnosis, patients with schizophrenia show decreased mean intracranial volume (ICV) as compared with healthy subjects. Since ICV is driven by brain growth, which reaches its maximum size at approximately 13 years of age, this finding suggests that brain development in patients with schizophrenia is stunted before that age. The smaller brain volume is expressed as decrements in both grey and white matter. After diagnosis, it is mainly the grey matter loss that progresses over time whereas white matter deficits are stable or may even improve over the course of the illness. To understand the possible causes of the brain changes in the first phase of schizophrenia, evidence from treatment studies, postmortem and neuroimaging investigations together with animal experiments needs to be incorporated. These data suggest that the pathophysiology of schizophrenia is multifactorial. Increased striatal dopamine synthesis is already evident before the time of diagnosis, starting during the at-risk mental state, and increases during the onset of frank psychosis. Cognitive impairment and negative symptoms may, in turn, result from other abnormalities, such as NMDA receptor hypofunction and low-grade inflammation of the brain. The latter two dysfunctions probably antedate increased dopamine synthesis by many years, reflecting the much earlier presence of cognitive and social dysfunction. Although correction of the hyperdopaminergic state with antipsychotic agents is generally effective in patients with a first-episode psychosis, the effects of treatments to correct NMDA receptor hypofunction or low-grade inflammation are (so far) rather modest at best. Improved efficacy of these interventions can be expected when they are applied at the onset of cognitive and social dysfunction, rather than at the onset of psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- R S Kahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - I E Sommer
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Morris BJ, Pratt JA. Novel treatment strategies for schizophrenia from improved understanding of genetic risk. Clin Genet 2014; 86:401-11. [PMID: 25142969 DOI: 10.1111/cge.12485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2014] [Revised: 08/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Recent years have seen significant advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of schizophrenia. In particular, genome-wide approaches have suggested the involvement of many common genetic variants of small effect, together with a few rare variants exerting relatively large effects. While unequivocal identification of the relevant genes has, for the most part, remained elusive, the genes revealed as potential candidates can in many cases be clustered into functionally related groups which are potentially open to therapeutic intervention. In this review, we summarise this information, focusing on the accumulating evidence that genetic dysfunction at glutamatergic synapses and post-synaptic signalling complexes contributes to the aetiology of the disease. In particular, there is converging support for involvement of post-synaptic JNK pathways in disease aetiology. An expansion of our neurobiological knowledge of the basis of schizophrenia is urgently needed, yet some promising novel pharmacological targets can already be discerned.
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Affiliation(s)
- B J Morris
- Psychiatric Research Institute of Neuroscience in Glasgow (PsyRING), University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, School of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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New perspectives on using brain imaging to study CNS stimulants. Neuropharmacology 2014; 87:104-14. [PMID: 25080072 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2014] [Revised: 06/26/2014] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
While the recent application of brain imaging to study CNS stimulants has offered new insights into the fundamental factors that contribute to their use and abuse, many gaps remain. Brain circuits that mediate pleasure, dependence, craving and relapse are anatomically, neurophysiologically and neurochemically distinct from one another, which has guided the search for correlates of stimulant-seeking and taking behavior. However, unlike other drugs of abuse, metrics for tolerance and physical dependence on stimulants are not obvious. The dopamine theory of stimulant abuse does not sufficiently explain this disorder as serotonergic, GABAergic and glutamagergic circuits are clearly involved in stimulant pharmacology and so tracking the source of the "addictive" processes must adopt a more multimodal, multidisciplinary approach. To this end, both anatomical and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), MR spectroscopy (MRS) and positron emission tomography (PET) are complementary and have equally contributed to our understanding of how stimulants affect the brain and behavior. New vistas in this area include nanotechnology approaches to deliver small molecules to receptors and use MRI to resolve receptor dynamics. Anatomical and blood flow imaging has yielded data showing that cognitive enhancers might be useful adjuncts in treating CNS stimulant dependence, while MRS has opened opportunities to examine the brain's readiness to accept treatment as GABA tone normalizes after detoxification. A desired outcome of the above approaches is being able to offer evidence-based rationales for treatment approaches that can be implemented in a more broad geographic area, where access to brain imaging facilities may be limited. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'CNS Stimulants'.
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Olivier JDA, Vinkers CH, Olivier B. The role of the serotonergic and GABA system in translational approaches in drug discovery for anxiety disorders. Front Pharmacol 2013; 4:74. [PMID: 23781201 PMCID: PMC3677985 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2013.00074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is ample evidence that genetic factors play an important role in anxiety disorders. In support, human genome-wide association studies have implicated several novel candidate genes. However, illumination of such genetic factors involved in anxiety disorders has not resulted in novel drugs over the past decades. A complicating factor is the heterogeneous classification of anxiety disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) and diverging operationalization of anxiety used in preclinical and clinical studies. Currently, there is an increasing focus on the gene × environment (G × E) interaction in anxiety as genes do not operate in isolation and environmental factors have been found to significantly contribute to the development of anxiety disorders in at-risk individuals. Nevertheless, extensive research on G × E mechanisms in anxiety has not resulted in major breakthroughs in drug discovery. Modification of individual genes in rodent models has enabled the specific study of anxiety in preclinical studies. In this context, two extensively studied neurotransmitters involved in anxiety are the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine) system. In this review, we illustrate the complex interplay between genes and environment in anxiety processes by reviewing preclinical and clinical studies on the serotonin transporter (5-HTT), 5-HT1A receptor, 5-HT2 receptor, and GABAA receptor. Even though targets from the serotonin and GABA system have yielded drugs with known anxiolytic efficacy, the relation between the genetic background of these targets and anxiety symptoms and development of anxiety disorders is largely unknown. The aim of this review is to show the vast complexity of genetic and environmental factors in anxiety disorders. In light of the difficulty with which common genetic variants are identified in anxiety disorders, animal models with translational validity may aid in elucidating the neurobiological background of these genes and their possible role in anxiety. We argue that, in addition to human genetic studies, translational models are essential to map anxiety-related genes and to enhance our understanding of anxiety disorders in order to develop potentially novel treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jocelien D A Olivier
- Department of, Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University Uppsala, Sweden ; Center for Gender Medicine, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden
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A sensitive period for GABAergic interneurons in the dentate gyrus in modulating sensorimotor gating. J Neurosci 2013; 33:6691-704. [PMID: 23575865 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0032-12.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental perturbations during adolescence have been hypothesized to be a risk factor for the onset of several neuropsychiatric diseases. However the physiological alterations that result from such insults are incompletely understood. We investigated whether a defined perturbation during adolescence affected hippocampus-dependent sensorimotor gating functions, a proposed endophenotype in several psychiatric diseases, most notably schizophrenia. The developmental perturbation was induced during adolescence in mice using an antimitotic agent, methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM), during postnatal weeks (PW) 4-6. MAM-treated mice showed a decrease in hippocampal neurogenesis immediately after treatment, which was restored by PW10 in adulthood. However, the mice treated with MAM during adolescent stages exhibited a persistent sensorimotor gating deficiency and a reduction in prepulse inhibition-related activation of hippocampal and prefrontal neurons in adulthood. Cellular analyses found a reduction of GABAergic inhibitory neurons and abnormal dendritic morphology of immature neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG). Interestingly, bilateral infusion of muscimol, a GABAA receptor agonist, into the DG region reversed the prepulse inhibition abnormality in MAM-treated mice. Furthermore, the behavioral deficits together with the decrease in the number of GABAergic neurons in this MAM model were rescued by exposure to an enriched environment during a defined critical adolescent period. These observations suggest a possible role for GABAergic interneurons in the DG during adolescence. This role may be related to the establishment of neural circuitry required for sensorimotor gating. It is plausible that changes in neurogenesis during this window may affect the survival of GABAergic interneurons, although this link needs to be causally addressed.
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Guerrini G, Ciciani G. Benzodiazepine receptor ligands: a patent review (2006 – 2012). Expert Opin Ther Pat 2013; 23:843-66. [DOI: 10.1517/13543776.2013.782005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Lee JS, Lee JD, Park HJ, Oh MK, Chun JW, Kim SJ, Kim E, Kim JJ. Is the GABA System Related to the Social Competence Improvement Effect of Aripiprazole? An (18)F-Fluoroflumazenil PET Study. Psychiatry Investig 2013; 10:75-80. [PMID: 23482902 PMCID: PMC3590434 DOI: 10.4306/pi.2013.10.1.75] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2012] [Revised: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 08/03/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Patients with schizophrenia who are treated with aripiprazole experience some benefits including an improvement of social competence, but the underlying mechanism of this improvement has not been investigated yet. This study aimed to provide preliminary evidence that the GABA system may be involved in the effect of aripiprazole on social competence. METHODS Seventeen outpatients with schizophrenia (9 taking aripiprazole and 8 taking risperidone) and 18 healthy controls underwent (18)F-fluoroflumazenil PET, and GABAA receptor binding potential was compared between the three groups. RESULTS Voxelwise one-way ANOVA showed that GABAA receptor binding potentials in the right medial prefrontal cortex (p=0.04) and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (p=0.02) were significantly lower in the aripiprazole group than the risperidone group, and those in the left frontopolar cortex (p=0.03) and right premotor cortex (p=0.02) were significantly lower in the aripiprazole group than the risperidone and control groups. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that aripiprazole administration results in increased GABA transmission in the prefrontal regions, and that these increases may be a neural basis of aripiprazole's clinical benefits on an improvement of social competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung Suk Lee
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Doo Lee
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae-Jeong Park
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Maeng-Keun Oh
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Won Chun
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Se-Joo Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Jin Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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23
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Guerrini G, Ciciani G, Costanzo A, Daniele S, Martini C, Ghelardini C, Di Cesare Mannelli L, Ciattini S. Synthesis of novel cognition enhancers with pyrazolo[5,1-c][1,2,4]benzotriazine core acting at γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptor. Bioorg Med Chem 2013; 21:2186-2198. [PMID: 23490154 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2013.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2012] [Revised: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 02/14/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Memory dysfunction associated with aging, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders represents an increasing medical need. Advances in research exploring the biological mechanisms underlying learning and memory have opened new potential approaches for development of memory-enhancing therapies addressed to selective neuronal targets. In this work, we synthesized some derivatives with a pyrazolo[5,1-c][1,2,4]benzotriazine core to identify ligands on GABAA receptors subtype (benzodiazepine site on GABAA-receptor) endowed with the potential of enhancing cognition activity without the side effects usually associated with non-selective GABAA modulators. In fact, there is much evidence that GABAA-R (γ-aminobutyric acid, type A receptor) subtype ligands have relevance in learning and memory. In vitro and in vivo tests have been performed. Pharmacological data indicate that compounds 7, 13, 14 and 22 act as dual functional modulators of GABAA-Rs (promnemonic and anxiolytic agents) while only compounds 3 and 10 stand out as selectively displaying good antiamnesic and procognitive activity (1 and 3 mg/kg, respectively).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Guerrini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Laboratorio di Progettazione, Sintesi e Studio di Eterocicli Biologicamente attivi (HeteroBioLab) Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via U. Schiff, 6, 50019 Polo Scientifico, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy.
| | - Giovanna Ciciani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Laboratorio di Progettazione, Sintesi e Studio di Eterocicli Biologicamente attivi (HeteroBioLab) Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via U. Schiff, 6, 50019 Polo Scientifico, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy
| | - Annarella Costanzo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Laboratorio di Progettazione, Sintesi e Studio di Eterocicli Biologicamente attivi (HeteroBioLab) Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via U. Schiff, 6, 50019 Polo Scientifico, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy
| | - Simona Daniele
- Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Pisa, via Bonanno, 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Claudia Martini
- Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Pisa, via Bonanno, 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Carla Ghelardini
- Dipartimento di Farmacologia Preclinica e Clinica Aiazzi-Mancini, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Viale Pieraccini, 6, 50139 Firenze, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Di Cesare Mannelli
- Dipartimento di Farmacologia Preclinica e Clinica Aiazzi-Mancini, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Viale Pieraccini, 6, 50139 Firenze, Italy
| | - Samuele Ciattini
- Centro di Cristallografia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via della Lastruccia, 3, 50019 Polo Scientifico, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy
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24
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Verdurand M, Fillman SG, Shannon Weickert C, Zavitsanou K. Increases in [3H]muscimol and [3H]flumazenil binding in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia are linked to α4 and γ2S mRNA levels respectively. PLoS One 2013; 8:e52724. [PMID: 23320076 PMCID: PMC3540049 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2012] [Accepted: 11/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background GABAA receptors (GABAAR) are composed of several subunits that determine sensitivity to drugs, synaptic localisation and function. Recent studies suggest that agonists targeting selective GABAAR subunits may have therapeutic value against the cognitive impairments observed in schizophrenia. In this study, we determined whether GABAAR binding deficits exist in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of people with schizophrenia and tested if changes in GABAAR binding are related to the changes in subunit mRNAs. The GABA orthosteric and the benzodiazepine allosteric binding sites were assessed autoradiographically using [3H]Muscimol and [3H]Flumazenil, respectively, in a large cohort of individuals with schizophrenia (n = 37) and their matched controls (n = 37). We measured, using qPCR, mRNA of β (β1, β2, β3), γ (γ1, γ2, γ2S for short and γ2L for long isoform, γ3) and δ subunits and used our previous measurements of GABAAR α subunit mRNAs in order to relate mRNAs and binding through correlation and regression analysis. Results Significant increases in both [3H]Muscimol (p = 0.016) and [3H]Flumazenil (p = 0.012) binding were found in the DLPFC of schizophrenia patients. Expression levels of mRNA subunits measured did not show any significant difference in schizophrenia compared to controls. Regression analysis revealed that in schizophrenia, the [3H]Muscimol binding variance was most related to α4 mRNA levels and the [3H]Flumazenil binding variance was most related to γ2S subunit mRNA levels. [3H]Muscimol and [3H]Flumazenil binding were not affected by the lifetime anti-psychotics dose (chlorpromazine equivalent). Conclusions We report parallel increases in orthosteric and allosteric GABAAR binding sites in the DLPFC in schizophrenia that may be related to a “shift” in subunit composition towards α4 and γ2S respectively, which may compromise normal GABAergic modulation and function. Our results may have implications for the development of treatment strategies that target specific GABAAR receptor subunits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Verdurand
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
- ANSTO LifeSciences, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, Sydney, Australia
| | - Stu G. Fillman
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Cynthia Shannon Weickert
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Katerina Zavitsanou
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- * E-mail:
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25
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Millan MJ, Agid Y, Brüne M, Bullmore ET, Carter CS, Clayton NS, Connor R, Davis S, Deakin B, DeRubeis RJ, Dubois B, Geyer MA, Goodwin GM, Gorwood P, Jay TM, Joëls M, Mansuy IM, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Murphy D, Rolls E, Saletu B, Spedding M, Sweeney J, Whittington M, Young LJ. Cognitive dysfunction in psychiatric disorders: characteristics, causes and the quest for improved therapy. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2012; 11:141-68. [PMID: 22293568 DOI: 10.1038/nrd3628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 786] [Impact Index Per Article: 65.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Studies of psychiatric disorders have traditionally focused on emotional symptoms such as depression, anxiety and hallucinations. However, poorly controlled cognitive deficits are equally prominent and severely compromise quality of life, including social and professional integration. Consequently, intensive efforts are being made to characterize the cellular and cerebral circuits underpinning cognitive function, define the nature and causes of cognitive impairment in psychiatric disorders and identify more effective treatments. Successful development will depend on rigorous validation in animal models as well as in patients, including measures of real-world cognitive functioning. This article critically discusses these issues, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for improving cognition in individuals suffering from psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Millan
- Institut de Recherche Servier, 78290 Croissy/Seine, France.
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26
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Rudolph U, Knoflach F. Beyond classical benzodiazepines: novel therapeutic potential of GABAA receptor subtypes. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2011; 10:685-97. [PMID: 21799515 DOI: 10.1038/nrd3502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 499] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
GABA(A) (γ-aminobutyric acid, type A) receptors are a family of ligand-gated ion channels that are essential for the regulation of central nervous system function. Benzodiazepines - which non-selectively target GABA(A) receptors containing the α1, α2, α3 or α5 subunits - have been in clinical use for decades and are still among the most widely prescribed drugs for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety disorders. However, their use is limited by side effects and the risk of drug dependence. In the past decade, the identification of separable key functions of GABA(A) receptor subtypes suggests that receptor subtype-selective compounds could overcome the limitations of classical benzodiazepines; furthermore, they might be valuable for novel indications such as chronic pain, depression, schizophrenia, cognitive enhancement and stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uwe Rudolph
- Laboratory of Genetic Neuropharmacology, McLean Hospital and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478, USA. urudolph@ mclean.harvard.edu
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27
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Glutamate, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and the stability of cortical attractor neuronal networks. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2011; 100:736-51. [PMID: 21704646 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2010] [Revised: 05/25/2011] [Accepted: 06/09/2011] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
A computational neuroscience approach to the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder based on a stochastic neurodynamical framework is described. An increased depth in the basins of attraction of attractor neuronal network states in the brain makes each state too stable, so that it tends to remain locked in that state, and cannot easily be moved on to another state. It is suggested that the different symptoms that may be present in obsessive--compulsive disorder could be related to changes of this type in different brain regions. In integrate-and-fire network simulations, an increase in the NMDA and/or AMPA receptor conductances, which increases the depth of the attractor basins, increases the stability of attractor networks, and makes them less easily moved on to another state by a new stimulus. Increasing GABA-receptor activated currents can partly reverse this overstability. There is now some evidence for overactivity in glutamate transmitter systems in obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the hypothesis presented here shows how some of the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder could be produced by the increase in the stability of attractor networks that is produced by increased glutamatergic activity. In schizophrenia, a reduction of the firing rates of cortical neurons caused for example by reduced NMDA receptor function, present in schizophrenia, can lead to instability of the high firing rate attractor states that normally implement short-term memory and attention, contributing to the cognitive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Reduced cortical inhibition caused by a reduction of GABA neurotransmission, present in schizophrenia, can lead to instability of the spontaneous firing states of cortical networks, leading to a noise-induced jump to a high firing rate attractor state even in the absence of external inputs, contributing to the positive symptoms of schizophrenia.
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