title: Altered fatty acid concentrations in prefrontal cortex of schizophrenic patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Disturbances in prefrontal cortex phospholipid and fatty acid composition have been reported in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), often as an incomplete lipid profile or a percent of total lipid concentration. In this study, we quantified absolute concentrations (nmol/g wet weight) and fractional concentrations (i.e. percent of total fatty acids) of several lipid classes and their constituent fatty acids in postmortem prefrontal cortex of SCZ patients (n = 10) and age-matched controls (n = 10).
  
  
  METHODS
  Lipids were extracted, fractionated with thin layer chromatography and assayed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean total lipid, phospholipid, individual phospholipids, plasmalogen, triglyceride and cholesteryl ester concentrations did not differ significantly between the groups. Compared to controls, SCZ brains showed significant increases in several monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid absolute concentrations in cholesteryl ester. Significant increases or decreases occurred in palmitoleic, linoleic, γ-linolenic and n-3 docosapentaenoic acid absolute concentrations in total lipids, triglycerides or phospholipids. Changes in fractional concentrations did not consistently reflect absolute concentration changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest disturbed prefrontal cortex fatty acid absolute concentrations, particularly within cholesteryl esters, as a pathological aspect of schizophrenia.
authors: Brain Physiology and Metabolism Section, Laboratory of Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. ameer.taha@nih.gov
authors: Ameer Y
authors: AY
authors: Taha
authors: Yewon
authors: Y
authors: Cheon
authors: Kaizong
authors: K
authors: Ma
authors: Stanley I
authors: SI
authors: Rapoport
authors: Jagadeesh S
authors: JS
authors: Rao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002788:Cholesterol Esters / Q000378:metabolism; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D010955:Plasmalogens / Q000378:metabolism; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002788:Cholesterol Esters; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010743:Phospholipids; D010955:Plasmalogens; D014280:Triglycerides