N-Methyl-d-Aspartic Acid Receptor Expression in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex of Elderly Patients With Schizophrenia

• DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.158.9.1400
• Publication Date: 2002-10-11T18:20:39Z
• Authors: Stella Dracheva; Salvatore A.E. Ma...; Sharif L. Elhakem; Fred R. Kramer; Kenneth L. Davis; Vahram Haroutunian
• Keywords: Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; Temporal cortex; Postmortem studies

OBJECTIVE: The N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) class of glutamate receptors has received attention in the pathophysiology schizophrenia because similarity between some schizophrenic symptoms and caused by NMDA antagonists. To determine if receptor abnormalities were present at mRNA level, expression (NR) subunits NR1, NR2A, NR2B was measured specimens from dorsolateral prefrontal cortex occipital elderly patients with normal subjects. METHOD: Postmortem antemortem assessed diagnosed (N=26) compared those a neuropathologically neuropsychiatrically comparison group (N=13) Alzheimer's disease (N=10). postsynaptic density 95 (PSD-95), protein associated receptors, studied quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Expression NR1 NR2A but not higher than groups. In contrast, significantly lower group. Occipital PSD-95 subjects correlated strongly both cortical regions cortex. These results influenced neuroleptic exposure history, postmortem interval, or age subject. CONCLUSIONS: are abnormally expressed schizophrenia. disproportionate relative to may have implications for sensitivity glutamatergic drugs.