Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Measures of Oxidative Stress in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Schizophrenia

Abstract

Oxidative stress in the brain occurs when antioxidant systems, such as reduced glutathione (GSH), are overwhelmed by pro-oxidant species, resulting in damage to fundamental cellular components and impaired neuronal functioning. Insufficient GSH is proposed as a pathogenic mechanism contributing to cortical neuronal dysfunction in schizophrenia (SZ). To investigate this possibility, we first quantified markers of the glutathione system and oxidative damage to lipids utilizing quantitative mass spectrometry in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of SZ subjects. Next, we performed transcriptomic analysis of a gene set indexing multiple antioxidant systems in DLPFC gray matter in SZ.