Dopaminergic Abnormalities in Select Thalamic Nuclei in Schizophrenia: Involvement of the Intracellular Signal Integrating Proteins Calcyon and Spinophilin

• DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.162.10.1859
• Publication Date: 2005-09-30T23:52:45Z
• Authors: Sarah M. Clinton; Hisham M. Ibrahim; Kirk A. Frey; Kenneth L. Davis; Vahram Haroutunian; James H. Meador-W...
• Keywords: Aged, 80 and over; Male; Dopamine and cAMP-Regulated Phosphoprotein 32; Dopamine; Microfilament Proteins; Membrane Proteins; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Middle Aged; Synaptic Transmission; Receptors, Dopamine; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Thalamic Nuclei; Vesicular Monoamine Transport Proteins; Schizophrenia; Autoradiography; Humans; Female; Tissue Distribution; RNA, Messenger; Aged

OBJECTIVE: While both thalamic abnormalities and dopaminergic dysregulation have been separately implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, little is known about possible dysfunction molecules associated with neurotransmission thalamus this illness. In study, authors studied question by measuring postmortem brain expression neurotransmission. METHOD: Using situ hybridization receptor autoradiography, determined schizophrenia comparison subjects 1) transcripts encoding five dopamine receptors; 2) binding to D1, D2, D3 3) monoaminergic innervation as assessed vesicular monoamine transporter; 4) three receptor-associated intracellular proteins (calcyon, spinophilin, DARPP-32) that mediate integration signaling other neurotransmitter systems. RESULTS: Both calcyon spinophilin were significantly elevated subjects. Monoaminergic innervation, well sites, unaffected CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate there are but they at level systems, likely including glutamate, neurons.