Olanzapine, but not clozapine, increases glutamate release in the prefrontal cortex of freely moving mice by inhibiting D-aspartate oxidase activity.

D-aspartate levels in the brain are regulated by the catabolic enzyme D-aspartate oxidase (DDO). D-aspartate activates NMDA receptors, and influences brain connectivity and behaviors relevant to schizophrenia in animal models. In addition, recent evidence reported a significant reduction of D-aspartate levels in the post-mortem brain of schizophrenia-affected patients, associated to higher DDO activity. In the present work, microdialysis experiments in freely moving mice revealed that exogenously administered D-aspartate efficiently cross the blood brain barrier and stimulates L-glutamate efflux in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Consistently, D-aspartate was able to evoke L-glutamate release in a preparation of cortical synaptosomes through presynaptic stimulation of NMDA, mGlu5 and AMPA/kainate receptors. In support of a potential therapeutic relevance of D-aspartate metabolism in schizophrenia, in vitro enzymatic assays revealed that the second-generation antipsychotic olanzapine, differently to clozapine, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, bupropion, fluoxetine and amitriptyline, inhibits the human DDO activity. In line with in vitro evidence, chronic systemic administration of olanzapine induces a significant extracellular release of D-aspartate and L-glutamate in the PFC of freely moving mice, which is suppressed in Ddo knockout animals. These results suggest that the second-generation antipsychotic olanzapine, through the inhibition of DDO activity, increases L-glutamate release in the PFC of treated mice.