Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Biol Psychiatry. 2010 Jun 1;67(11):1010-6. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.12.004. Epub 2010 Jan 18.
Cortical glutamate levels are elevated in bipolar disorder, but the interpretation of this increase is unclear because glutamate has metabolic as well as neurotransmitter roles. We investigated this by measuring vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGluT1) expression, which reflects activity at glutamate synapses. We also measured netrin-G1 and netrin-G2 messenger RNAs because these genes are involved in the formation and plasticity of glutamatergic connections.
Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we quantified transcripts for VGluT1, netrin-G1 (isoforms G1c, G1d, and G1f), and netrin-G2 in the anterior cingulate cortex from subjects with bipolar disorder (n = 34), schizophrenia (n = 35), and healthy control subjects (n = 35).
Vesicular glutamate transporter 1, netrin-G2, and netrin-G1d and G1f were increased in bipolar disorder but not in schizophrenia. Netrin-G1c did not differ between groups. Netrin-G1c and netrin-G1f expression showed left-right asymmetries. Vesicular glutamate transporter 1 messenger RNA correlated with brain weight.
Increased VGluT1 expression is supportive of elevated glutamate neurotransmission in the anterior cingulate cortex in bipolar disorder. The netrin-G1 and netrin-G2 findings suggest there may be an underlying difference in the plasticity of the affected circuitry.
双相情感障碍患者的皮质谷氨酸水平升高,但由于谷氨酸具有代谢和神经递质作用,因此增加的解释尚不清楚。我们通过测量反映谷氨酸突触活动的囊泡谷氨酸转运体 1(VGluT1)的表达来研究这一点。我们还测量了轴突导向因子 netrin-G1 和 netrin-G2 的信使 RNA,因为这些基因参与谷氨酸能连接的形成和可塑性。
使用定量聚合酶链反应,我们对来自双相情感障碍患者(n=34)、精神分裂症患者(n=35)和健康对照者(n=35)的前扣带回皮质中的 VGluT1、netrin-G1(异构体 G1c、G1d 和 G1f)和 netrin-G2 的转录本进行了定量。
双相情感障碍患者的囊泡谷氨酸转运体 1、netrin-G2 和 netrin-G1d 和 G1f 增加,但精神分裂症患者则没有。netrin-G1c 在各组之间没有差异。netrin-G1c 和 netrin-G1f 的表达存在左右不对称。囊泡谷氨酸转运体 1 的信使 RNA 与脑重相关。
VGluT1 表达增加支持前扣带皮层中谷氨酸能神经传递在双相情感障碍中升高。netrin-G1 和 netrin-G2 的发现表明,受影响的电路的可塑性可能存在潜在差异。