title: Oxidative stress and brain glutamate-mediated excitability in depressed patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several neuropsychiatric pathologies have been recently linked to oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated the relationship between depression, markers of oxidative stress and neurotransmission, as expressed by sensory cortex excitability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum levels of oxidative stress markers and somatosensory magnetic fields, evoked by external galvanic stimulation, were measured in 13 depressed patients and 13 controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Depressives had higher levels of total and free copper than controls and lower levels of transferrin. They also showed lower sensory cortex excitability, which correlated with copper levels in controls, but not in patients. Transferrin correlated with sensory cortex excitability in both patients and controls, although in opposite ways. Copper level results associated with the patients' clinical status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Small sample size and possible sampling bias in patient selection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pro-oxidant agents appear to affect neuronal excitability and clinical state of depressed patients, as free copper excess alters their cortical glutamatergic neurotransmission.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (CNR), Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Isola Tiberina, Rome, Italy. carlo.salustri@istc.cnr.it
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Salustri
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Squitti
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zappasodi
authors.forename: Mariacarla
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ventriglia
authors.forename: Maria Gabriela
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Bevacqua
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tecchio
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002570:Ceruloplasmin / Q000378:metabolism; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D014168:Transferrin; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron; D002570:Ceruloplasmin; D015032:Zinc