Ribosomal DNA transcription in dorsal raphe nucleus neurons is increased in residual schizophrenia compared to depressed patients with affective disorders.
The central serotonergic system is implicated differentially in the pathogenesis of depression and schizophrenia. The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is the main source of serotonergic innervation of forebrain limbic structures disturbed in both disorders. The study was carried out on paraffin-embedded brains from 27 depressed (15 major depressive disorder, MDD and 12 bipolar disorder, BD) and 17 schizophrenia (9 residual and 8 paranoid) patients and 28 matched controls without mental disorders. The transcriptional activity of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) in DRN neurons was evaluated by the AgNOR silver staining method. A significant effect of diagnosis on rDNA activity was found in the cumulative analysis of all DRN subnuclei. Further analysis revealed an increase in this activity in residual (but not paranoid) schizophrenia compared to depressed (both MDD and BD) patients. The effect was most probably neither confounded by suicide nor related to antidepressant and antipsychotic medication. Our findings suggest that increased activity of rDNA in DRN neurons is a distinct phenomenon in residual schizophrenia, related presumably to differentially disturbed inputs to the DRN and/or their local transformation compared with depressive episodes in patients with affective disorders.
Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, ul. Dębowa 23, 80-204 Gdańsk, Poland.
Marta
M
Krzyżanowska
Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.
Johann
J
Steiner
Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, ul. Dębowa 23, 80-204 Gdańsk, Poland.
Ralf
R
Brisch
Institute of Neuropathology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.
Christian
C
Mawrin
Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.
Stefan
S
Busse
Department of Zoology/Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.
Katharina
K
Braun
Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, ul. Dębowa 23, 80-204 Gdańsk, Poland.
Zbigniew
Z
Jankowski
Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.
Hans-Gert
HG
Bernstein
Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.
Bernhard
B
Bogerts
Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, ul. Dębowa 23, 80-204 Gdańsk, Poland; Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Zoology/Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany. Electronic address: gost@gumed.edu.pl.
Tomasz
T
Gos
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D065847:Dorsal Raphe Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*
D004275:DNA, Ribosomal
AgNOR staining; Depression; Dorsal raphe; Post-mortem; Schizophrenia