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PMID: 21508933 Published · ppublish English Comparative Study Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Higher levels of glutamate in the associative-striatum of subjects with prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia and patients with first-episode psychosis.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology ·Vol. 36 ·No. 9 ·2011-08-00 ·Pages 1781-91

de la Fuente-Sandoval C, León-Ortiz P, Favila R, Stephano S, Mamo D, Ramírez-Bermúdez J, Graff-Guerrero A

Abstract

The glutamatergic and dopaminergic systems are thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Their interaction has been widely documented and may have a role in the neurobiological basis of the disease. The aim of this study was to compare, using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS), glutamate levels in the precommissural dorsal-caudate (a dopamine-rich region) and the cerebellar cortex (negligible for dopamine) in the following: (1) 18 antipsychotic-naïve subjects with prodromal symptoms and considered to be at ultra high-risk for schizophrenia (UHR), (2) 18 antipsychotic-naïve first- episode psychosis patients (FEP), and (3) 40 age- and sex- matched healthy controls. All subjects underwent a (1)H-MRS study using a 3Tesla scanner. Glutamate levels were quantified and corrected for the proportion of cerebrospinal fluid and percentage of gray matter in the voxel. The UHR and FEP groups showed higher levels of glutamate than controls, without differences between UHR and FEP. In the cerebellum, no differences were seen between the three groups. The higher glutamate level in the precommissural dorsal-caudate and not in the cerebellum of UHR and FEP suggests that a high glutamate level (a) precedes the onset of schizophrenia, and (b) is present in a dopamine-rich region previously implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

MeSH Terms
Adolescent Adult Age of Onset Caudate Nucleus/metabolism,pathology,physiopathology Disease Progression Female Glutamic Acid/metabolism Humans Male Psychotic Disorders/diagnosis,metabolism,physiopathology Risk Factors Schizophrenia/diagnosis,metabolism,physiopathology Up-Regulation/physiology Young Adult
Chemicals
Glutamic Acid
Authors & Affiliations
7 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
de la Fuente-Sandoval Camilo
Experimental Psychiatry Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Mexico City, Mexico; Neuropsychiatry Department, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Mexico City, Mexico.
León-Ortiz Pablo
Favila Rafael
Stephano Sylvana
Mamo David
Ramírez-Bermúdez Jesús
Graff-Guerrero Ariel
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Article Info
Journal
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Abbr.
Neuropsychopharmacology
ISSN
1740-634X
DOI
10.1038/npp.2011.65
Published
2011-08-00
Epub
2011-00-20
Pages
1781-91
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
8904907
PMCID
PMC3154101
Subset
IM
Corrections
CommentIn
PMID: 22327901
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1038/npp.2011.65 PMC Full Text View journal details
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