title: Fatty acid composition and fatty acid binding protein expression in the postmortem frontal cortex of patients with schizophrenia: A case-control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Abnormal levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have been found in the postmortem frontal cortex, particularly the orbitofrontal cortex, of patients with schizophrenia. Altered mRNA expression of fatty acid binding protein (FABP) 5 and FABP7 has likewise been reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study investigated whether PUFAs in the frontal cortex [Brodmann area (BA) 8] and mRNA expression of FABP3, 5, and 7 were different between patients with schizophrenia (n=95) and unaffected controls (n=93).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In contrast to previous studies, no significant differences were found in DHA between the groups. Although arachidonic acid (AA) levels were significantly decreased in the schizophrenia group, no association was found between AA and schizophrenia on logistic regression analysis. Only FABP3 expression was significantly lower in the schizophrenia group than in the control group. Significant inverse associations were seen between only two saturated fatty acids, behenic acid and lignoceric acid, and FABP3 expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found no evidence that major PUFA levels in BA8 are involved in the etiology of schizophrenia. Although FABP3 expression was not correlated with any of the major PUFAs, it might play a novel role in the pathology of BA8 in a subset of patients with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Molecular Psychiatry, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama City, Toyama 9300194, Japan. Electronic address: keihama@med.u-toyama.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hamazaki
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Molecular Psychiatry, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Motoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maekawa
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Molecular Psychiatry, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toyota
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Molecular Psychiatry, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshimi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwayama
authors.affiliation: The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Molecular Psychiatry, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamazaki
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Molecular Psychiatry, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D012333:RNA, Messenger
keywords: Fatty acid binding protein; Frontal cortex; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Postmortem brain; Schizophrenia