title: [Glutamate increase in the associative striatum in schizophrenia: a longitudinal magnetic resonance spectroscopy preliminary study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare glutamate levels (Glu) found in the dorsal-caudate nucleus (a dopamine rich region) and in the cerebellum (a low dopamine region) among: 1) schizophrenia patients undergoing an acute psychotic episode, 2) after receiving antidopaminergic treatment (Risperidone), and 3) healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen drug-free patients with schizophrenia and fourteen healthy controls were included. Patients underwent two proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) studies, one prior to treatment and the second after 6-weeks of daily Risperidone treatment. Controls underwent one 1H-MRS study. Glutamate levels were normalized according to the relative concentration of Creatine (Cr).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The dorsal-caudate nucleus among schizophrenia patients showed higher levels of Glu/Cr during the drug-free condition (t = -2.16, p = 0.03) and after antipsychotic treatment (t = 2.12, p = 0.04) compared with controls. No difference was observed in the cerebellum between the drug-free, post-treatment and controls conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the Glu increase observed in the dorsal-caudate in schizophrenia is illness-mediated and does not change after 6-weeks of antipsychotic treatment. Moreover, the lack of change detected in the cerebellum suggests that the Glu increase in schizophrenia is not ubiquitous within the brain and that may be associated with dopamine target regions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Psiquiatría Experimental, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, México D.F., México.
authors.forename: Camilo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de la Fuente-Sandoval
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Favila
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alvarado
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: León-Ortiz
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Díaz-Galvis
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Amezcua
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García-Muñoz
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Graff-Guerrero
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018698:Glutamic Acid