Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Psychiatry Res. 2012 Jan 30;201(1):25-33. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2011.06.017. Epub 2012 Jan 28.
Patients with a first episode of schizophrenia generally have increased phospholipid membrane breakdown products within the brain, while findings in chronic patients have been inconsistent. In this study we examine progressive changes in phosphorus membrane metabolites in the same patient group through the early years of schizophrenia in brain regions associated with the disease. Sixteen never-treated and medicated first episode schizophrenic patients were assessed at 10 months and 52 months after diagnosis. Sixteen matched volunteers were assessed at baseline and after 35 months. Phospholipid membrane metabolism was assessed with phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the thalamus, cerebellum, hippocampus, anterior/posterior cingulate, prefrontal cortex, parieto-occipital cortex, superior temporal gyrus and temporal pole. At 10 months, glycerophosphocholine was increased in the anterior cingulate in patients as compared to controls. Glycerophosphocholine was decreased in the anterior cingulate and increased in the posterior cingulate and left superior temporal gyrus; glycerophosphoethanolamine was decreased in the left thalamus and increased in the left hippocampus within patients over time. At 52 months, compared to controls phosphocholine was increased in the left thalamus and glycerophosphoethanolamine was increased in the left hippocampus. These results imply a gradual inclusion of brain regions in schizophrenia where an initial increase, followed by a decrease in phospholipid membrane metabolites was observed. This pattern, observed in the early years of schizophrenia, is consistent with excitotoxic neural membrane breakdown in these regions.
首发精神分裂症患者的大脑中通常会有更多的磷脂膜破裂产物，而慢性患者的发现则不一致。在这项研究中，我们通过对同一患者组在精神分裂症早期的大脑区域中，研究磷膜代谢物的进行性变化，这些区域与疾病有关。16 名未经治疗和用药的首发精神分裂症患者在诊断后 10 个月和 52 个月时进行了评估。16 名匹配的志愿者在基线和 35 个月后进行了评估。使用磷磁共振波谱在丘脑、小脑、海马、前后扣带回、前额叶皮质、顶枕叶、颞上回和颞极评估磷膜代谢。在 10 个月时，与对照组相比，患者的前扣带中的甘油磷酸胆碱增加。随着时间的推移，患者的前扣带中的甘油磷酸胆碱减少，而后扣带和左颞上回中的甘油磷酸胆碱增加；左丘脑中的甘油磷酰乙醇胺减少，左海马中的甘油磷酰乙醇胺增加。在 52 个月时，与对照组相比，左丘脑中的磷酸胆碱增加，左海马中的甘油磷酰乙醇胺增加。这些结果表明，随着时间的推移，精神分裂症患者的大脑区域逐渐增加，其中最初观察到磷脂膜代谢物的增加，随后减少。这种模式在精神分裂症的早期观察到，与这些区域中兴奋性神经膜破裂一致。
