title: Increased brain membrane fluidity in schizophrenia.
abstract: Recent findings showing significant correlations between phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity and structural changes in schizophrenic brains contribute to the membrane hypothesis of schizophrenia, which was hampered because a clean functional link between elevated PLA2 activity and brain structure was missing (Neuroimage, 2010; 52: 1314-1327). We measured membrane fluidity parameters and found that brain membranes isolated from the prefrontal cortex of schizophrenic patients showed significantly increased flexibility of fatty acid chains. Our findings support a possible link between elevated PLA2 activity in cortical areas of schizophrenic patients and subsequent alterations of the biophysical parameters of neuronal membranes leading to structural changes in these areas.
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Eckert
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Schaeffer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maras
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Gattaz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008560:Membrane Fluidity; D008875:Middle Aged; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000378:metabolism*