title: Progressive membrane phospholipid changes in first episode schizophrenia with high field magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
abstract: Patients with a first episode of schizophrenia generally have increased phospholipid membrane breakdown products within the brain, while findings in chronic patients have been inconsistent. In this study we examine progressive changes in phosphorus membrane metabolites in the same patient group through the early years of schizophrenia in brain regions associated with the disease. Sixteen never-treated and medicated first episode schizophrenic patients were assessed at 10 months and 52 months after diagnosis. Sixteen matched volunteers were assessed at baseline and after 35 months. Phospholipid membrane metabolism was assessed with phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the thalamus, cerebellum, hippocampus, anterior/posterior cingulate, prefrontal cortex, parieto-occipital cortex, superior temporal gyrus and temporal pole. At 10 months, glycerophosphocholine was increased in the anterior cingulate in patients as compared to controls. Glycerophosphocholine was decreased in the anterior cingulate and increased in the posterior cingulate and left superior temporal gyrus; glycerophosphoethanolamine was decreased in the left thalamus and increased in the left hippocampus within patients over time. At 52 months, compared to controls phosphocholine was increased in the left thalamus and glycerophosphoethanolamine was increased in the left hippocampus. These results imply a gradual inclusion of brain regions in schizophrenia where an initial increase, followed by a decrease in phospholipid membrane metabolites was observed. This pattern, observed in the early years of schizophrenia, is consistent with excitotoxic neural membrane breakdown in these regions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jodi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Dick J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Drost
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manchanda
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Northcott
authors.forename: Richard W J
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Neufeld
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Menon
authors.forename: Nagalingam
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rajakumar
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pavlosky
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Densmore
authors.forename: Betsy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Williamson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D059906:Neuroimaging; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D010743:Phospholipids