title: Dopamine-glutamate abnormalities in the frontal cortex associated with the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) in schizophrenia.
abstract: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) plays an important role in brain catecholamine metabolism. Several studies point to the involvement of COMT in schizophrenia. We applied COMT immunohistochemistry to paraffin-embedded brain sections and assessed the cell density of COMT expressing glial cells and COMT expressing neurons in the gray matter of the frontal cortex of patients with schizophrenia compared with control subjects. We found a significantly increased cell density of COMT expressing glial cells (p=0.003), but an unchanged cell density of COMT expressing neurons (p=0.778) in the gray matter of the frontal cortex of patients with schizophrenia compared with control subjects. Our study demonstrates that schizophrenia might involve increased COMT expression in glial cells in the frontal cortex, which might be associated with a neuronal-glial abnormality and a disturbed dopamine-glutamate interaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany. ralfbrisch@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brisch
authors.forename: Hans-Gert
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Krell
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dobrowolny
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bielau
authors.forename: Johann
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gos
authors.forename: Sieglinde
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Funke
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stauch
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knüppel
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bogerts
mesh_terms: D018070:Biological Specimen Banks; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D002450:Cell Communication; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018698:Glutamic Acid; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase; D004298:Dopamine