title: Decreased prefrontal CaMKII alpha mRNA in bipolar illness.
abstract: Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) plays critical roles in neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity, learning and memory. The aim of this study was to examine, by in situ hybridization, prefrontal cortical expression of CaMKII alpha mRNA in postmortem brains of unipolar, bipolar, schizophrenic, and control subjects. Compared to controls, bipolar patients had significantly lower levels of CaMKII alpha mRNA in laminae I-VI of Brodmann's area 9 and laminae I-III and VI of area 46. Unipolar patients also exhibited significantly lower levels of CaMKII alpha mRNA in laminae I-IV of area 9 than did controls. The significant decrease in CaMKII alpha mRNA in bipolar patients could be associated with some of the affective and cognitive alterations that have been linked to prefrontal cortical dysfunction in bipolar disorder, although this requires further direct examination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
authors.forename: Guoqiang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Shani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hough
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Grady
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shutong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Li-Xin
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Post
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015536:Down-Regulation; D006801:Humans; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases