Correlation of DRD2 mRNA expression levels with deficit syndrome severity in chronic schizophrenia patients receiving clozapine treatment.

Liang Liu,Yin Luo,Chunhui Jin,Guofu Zhang,Zaohuo Cheng,Zhenhe Zhou,Guozhen Yuan

doi:10.18632/oncotarget.21230

Liang Liu, Yin Luo + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.21230

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Journal: Oncotarget	Publication Date: Sep 23, 2017
Citations: 4	License type: CC BY 3.0

Affiliation: Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi People's Hospital

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a complex, severe, chronic psychiatric disorder, and the associated deficit syndrome is widely regarded as an important clinical aspect of schizophrenia. This study analyzed the relationship of deficit syndrome severity with the mRNA levels of members of signaling pathways that associate with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, including the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2), protein kinase B (AKT1), and phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3KCB), in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) of 20 healthy controls and 19 chronic schizophrenia patients with long-term clozapine treatment. The DRD2 expression levels in chronic schizophrenia group were statistically higher than those in controls (t=2.168, p=0.037). Moreover, in chronic schizophrenia group, correlations were observed between the expression levels of DRD2 and PI3KCB (r=0.771, p<0.001), DRD2 and AKT1 (r=0.592, p=0.008), and PI3KCB and AKT1 (r=0.562, p=0.012) and between the DRD2 mRNA levels and the Proxy for the Deficit Syndrome score (r=0.511, p=0.025). In control group, the correlation between PI3KCB expression levels and DRD2 expression levels was only observed (r=0.782, p<0.001). In conclusion, a correlation was observed between increased deficit syndrome severity and elevated expression levels of DRD2 in PBLs of chronic schizophrenia patients receiving long-term clozapine treatment.

Highlights

Schizophrenia is a complex, severe, chronic psychiatric disorder with a heterogeneous clinical phenotype [1]
This study analyzed the relationship of deficit syndrome severity with the mRNA levels of members of signaling pathways that associate with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, including the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2), protein kinase B (AKT1), and phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3KCB), in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) of 20 healthy controls and 19 chronic schizophrenia patients with long-term clozapine treatment
Schizophrenia is a complex disorder characterized by a high degree of variability in its performance of negative, positive, and cognitive symptoms

Summary

Introduction

Schizophrenia is a complex, severe, chronic psychiatric disorder with a heterogeneous clinical phenotype [1]. The prevalence of schizophrenia is approximately 1.1% of the population over the age of 18, and 25 million people worldwide are currently affected by this disorder [2]. Gene–environmental interactions have been found to play a crucial role in the development of schizophrenia [8, 9]. Considering these various factors, the development of genomics and molecular biology improved the understanding of the molecular pathophysiology of schizophrenia, especially the related neuronal signaling pathways and the influences of antipsychotic drugs on them [10,11,12,13]

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