Olanzapine, but not haloperidol, enhances PSA-NCAM immunoreactivity in rat prefrontal cortex.
Repeated antipsychotic treatment may produce adaptive changes ranging from cytoarchitectural rearrangements to synaptic modifications that might contribute to clinical improvement. We performed a prolonged treatment (2 wk) with the first-generation antipsychotic (FGA) haloperidol (1 mg/kg) and the second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) olanzapine (2 mg/kg twice daily) and analysed the expression of the polysialylated form of neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) in rat hippocampus and prefrontal cortex via immunohistochemistry. We found a regional- and drug-selective increase of PSA-NCAM expression in prefrontal cortex of olanzapine-treated rats with no effects in hippocampus; conversely, haloperidol did not produce a change in either brain region. Our findings reveal a possible role for PSA-NCAM in the mechanism of action of the SGA olanzapine adding complexity as well as specificity to the molecular changes set in motion by this drug.
Frasca
Angelisa
A
Center of Neuropharmacology, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Fumagalli
Fabio
F
Ter Horst
Judith
J
Racagni
Giorgio
G
Murphy
Keith J
KJ
Riva
Marco A
MA
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D000077152:Olanzapine; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*
D001569:Benzodiazepines; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D006220:Haloperidol; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1; D000077152:Olanzapine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D012794:Sialic Acids; C103469:polysialyl neural cell adhesion molecule