Fatty acid composition of the postmortem corpus callosum of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder.
Studies investigating the relationship between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels and psychiatric disorders have thus far focused mainly on analyzing gray matter, rather than white matter, in the postmortem brain. In this study, we investigated whether PUFA levels showed abnormalities in the corpus callosum, the largest area of white matter, in the postmortem brain tissue of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder.



Fatty acids in the phospholipids of the postmortem corpus callosum were evaluated by thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography. Specimens were evaluated for patients with schizophrenia (n=15), bipolar disorder (n=15), or major depressive disorder (n=15) and compared with unaffected controls (n=15).



In contrast to some previous studies, no significant differences were found in the levels of PUFAs or other fatty acids in the corpus callosum between patients and controls. A subanalysis by sex gave the same results. No significant differences were found in any PUFAs between suicide completers and non-suicide cases regardless of psychiatric disorder diagnosis.



Patients with psychiatric disorders did not exhibit n-3 PUFAs deficits in the postmortem corpus callosum relative to the unaffected controls, and the corpus callosum might not be involved in abnormalities of PUFA metabolism. This area of research is still at an early stage and requires further investigation.
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.
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K
Hamazaki
Laboratory for Molecular Psychiatry, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
M
M
Maekawa
Laboratory for Molecular Psychiatry, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
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T
Toyota
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
B
B
Dean
Laboratory for Molecular Psychiatry, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
T
T
Hamazaki
Laboratory for Molecular Psychiatry, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
T
T
Yoshikawa
D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
Bipolar disorder; Corpus callosum; Major depressive disorder; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Postmortem brain; Schizophrenia