title: Expression of PSA-NCAM and synaptic proteins in the amygdala of psychiatric disorder patients.
abstract: Neuroimaging has revealed structural abnormalities in the amygdala of different psychiatric disorders. The polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM), a molecule related to neuronal structural plasticity, which expression is altered in schizophrenia, major depression and in animal models of these disorders, may participate in these changes. However, PSA-NCAM has not been studied in the human amygdala. To know whether its expression and that of presynaptic markers, was affected in psychiatric disorders, we have analyzed post-mortem sections from the Stanley Neuropathology Consortium, which includes controls, schizophrenia, bipolar and major depression patients. PSA-NCAM was expressed in neuronal somata and neuropil puncta, many of which corresponded to interneurons. Depressed patients showed decreases in PSA-NCAM expression in the basolateral and basomedial amygdala; synaptophysin and GAD67 were also decreased, while VGLUT-1 was increased, in different nuclei. Increases in PSA-NCAM expression were found in the lateral nucleus of bipolar patients; synaptophysin and GAD67 were reduced, and VGLUT-1 increased, in their basolateral and lateral nuclei. The expression of synaptophysin and GAD67 was downregulated in the basolateral nucleus of schizophrenics. These results indicate that inhibitory and excitatory amygdaloid circuits are affected in these disorders and that abnormal PSA-NCAM expression in depressive and bipolar patients may underlie these alterations.
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology Unit and Program in Basic and Applied Neurosciences, Cell Biology Dpt., Universitat de València, Spain.
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varea
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guirado
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gilabert-Juan
authors.forename: Ulisses
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Martí
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castillo-Gomez
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Blasco-Ibáñez
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crespo
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nacher
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000679:Amygdala / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism; D050598:Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1; C493464:SLC17A7 protein, human; D012794:Sialic Acids; D016708:Synaptophysin; D050598:Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1; C103469:polysialyl neural cell adhesion molecule; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase; C402565:glutamate decarboxylase 1; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase