title: Mitochondrial DNA deletion mutations in patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms.
abstract: It has been suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction is important in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia and dementia. We report herein three adult patients exhibiting such psychiatric symptoms as the core manifestation, accompanied by various degrees of myopathic symptoms. Pathological findings in biopsied skeletal muscle were compatible with mitochondrial myopathy in all cases. Maternal inheritance was not apparent in all three cases; however, two patients were born to consanguineous parents. Mutation analysis on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and seven nuclear genes, in which pathogenic mutations are known to cause mtDNA deletions, was performed. MtDNA deletion mutations were identified in skeletal muscles of all patients. Neither pathogenic mutations nor copy number variation was identified among the nuclear genes. Although further studies are needed, the molecular pathways inducing mitochondrial abnormalities may be implicated in a variety of psychiatric conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Maiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Mio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ichiba
authors.forename: Akiyuki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomiyasu
authors.forename: Hirochika
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimo
authors.forename: Itsuro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.forename: Shu-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D018628:Gene Dosage; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D017240:Mitochondrial Myopathies / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology; D010375:Pedigree; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial