Male Schizophrenic Patients Research Articles

PW01-183 - Relationship of personality disorders to the symptoms of schizophrenia

IntroductionIt is well estabhished that the frequency of all types of personality disorders are increased in schizophrenia. Stable personality traits influence the progress of the illness. The aim of this study was to investigate comorbid personality disorders and their relations with positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia patients.Materials and methodsData belonging to 27 female and 23 male schizophrenic patients (n=50) followed-up in our outpatient clinic constituted our series. Any patients having a history of mental retardation, head injury, prior neurological illness, alchohol or substance abuse were excluded. All patients were in a clinically stable phase of illness, and having no changes in medication for at least three months. Having obtained informed consent, patients were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) as well as the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), Hamilton Axiety Scale (HAM-A), Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), and The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM III-R Axis II Personality Disorders.ResultsThirty-six schizophrenia patients had at least one kind of comorbid personality disorder (72%) while 14 (28%) had not. Comparing the patients having personality disorders to the rest of our patient population, we have found no statistically significant differences in age groups, clinical variables and functioning.DiscussionWe have shown that approximately three fourths of our series accompanied by at least one type of personality disorders, a finding consolidating and concordant with some of the previous works.

PW01-188 - Characterization of cariprazine (RGH-188) D3/D2 receptor occupancy in healthy volunteers and schizophrenic patients by positron emission tomography (PET)

ObjectivesTo evaluate the striatal D3/D2 receptor occupancy of cariprazine (RGH-188) in healthy volunteers and schizophrenic patients, and assess the correlation between cariprazine plasma concentration and receptor occupancy.MethodsSingle- (0.5 mg) or multiple-dose (1 mg/day, 14 days) cariprazine was administered to healthy adult males (N=5) in an open-label positron emission tomography (PET) study. In a separate open-label PET study, multiple-dose cariprazine (0.5-3.0 mg/day, 14 days) was administered to adult male schizophrenic patients (N=8). Healthy volunteers had 1 predose and 1 postdose raclopride PET scan; schizophrenic patients had 1 predose and up to 3 postdose fallypride scans. Cariprazine plasma concentrations were determined by LC-MS/MS.ResultsIn healthy volunteers, single-dose cariprazine 0.5 mg resulted in low plasma concentration (0.1 ng/ml) and was associated with 12% maximum D3/D2 receptor occupancy; cariprazine 1 mg/day for 14 days resulted in cariprazine plasma concentrations of 2.3-3.4 ng/ml and >70% D3/D2 receptor occupancy. In schizophrenic patients, cariprazine 1.5 mg/day for 14 days resulted in cariprazine plasma concentrations of 2.5-3.4 ng/ml and >70% receptor occupancy; cariprazine 3.0 mg/day resulted in ≥90% occupancy. Predicted Emax values in schizophrenic patients approached 100% D3/D2 occupancy for dorsal and ventral striatum.ConclusionsD3/D2 receptor occupancy in dorsal and ventral striatum was similar for cariprazine 1.0 mg/day in healthy volunteers and cariprazine 1.5 mg/day in schizophrenic patients. In both, higher receptor occupancy was associated with higher cariprazine plasma concentration. Cariprazine at 1.5 to 3.0 mg/day showed D3/D2 receptor occupancy within the predicted effective antipsychotic range.

Association among aggressiveness, neurocognitive function, and the Val66Met polymorphism of brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene in male schizophrenic patients

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the association among aggressive behavior, neuropsychological function, and the Val66Met functional polymorphism of brain-derived neurotrophic factor ( BDNF) gene in male schizophrenic patients. Methods We examined 51 male patients with schizophrenia who had committed homicide (ie, H-SCZ), 50 male patients with schizophrenia who had not committed homicide (ie, NH-SCZ), and 50 healthy male controls. Patients were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Life History of Aggression, and the Overt Aggression Scale. In addition, patients were given neurocognitive function tests, including Korean-Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale short form, the Korean version of the Rey Memory Test, the Stroop Test, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. The Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene was also genotyped in all schizophrenic patients. Results We observed no significant difference between patients in the H-SCZ and NH-SCZ groups, with regard to Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores. Total Life History of Aggression ( P < .01) and Overt Aggression Scale scores for the most severe episode ( P < .01) or for the previous month ( P < .05) were higher in the H-SCZ group than in the NH-SCZ group. There were no significant differences in the genotype distribution or allelic frequency of the Val66Met polymorphism between the schizophrenic groups. In addition, we observed no significant differences between H-SCZ and NH-SCZ groups with regard to performance on neuropsychological tests. The Met allele of the Val66Met polymorphism was associated with poor intelligence quotient, memory quotient), learning, and delayed recall in the H-SCZ group. However, genotype did not seem to influence neurocognitive function in schizophrenic patients who had committed homicide. Conclusions The neurocognitive tests used in our study were unable to distinguish between violent and nonviolent schizophrenic patients. Furthermore, the Val66Met polymorphism was not associated with aggressiveness in patients with schizophrenia.

Decreased density of serotonin 2A receptors in the superior temporal gyrus in schizophrenia-a postmortem study

The superior temporal gyrus (STG) is strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, particularly with regards to auditory hallucinations. In this study, using in situ quantitative autoradiography in postmortem tissue, we investigated the binding of the [ 3H]ketanserin to 5-HT 2A receptors and [ 3H]mesulergine to 5-HT 2C receptors in the left STG of 8 male schizophrenic patients compared to 8 control subjects. A strong [ 3H]ketanserin binding was observed in the STG, however there was a very weak [ 3H]mesulergine binding in the STG. A significant decrease in binding of [ 3H]ketanserin was clearly observed in schizophrenia patients in comparison with control subjects. There were no significant correlations between 5-HT 2A binding density and age, postmortem intervals, or brain pH. These results suggest that the alterations of the 5-HT 2A receptors contribute to the pathophysiology of the STG in schizophrenia. Furthermore, there is a clear tendency for a positive correlation between 5-HT 2A and muscarinic M1 receptor bindings, and for negative correlations between 5-HT 2A and GABA A receptor bindings and between muscarinic M1 and GABA A receptor bindings. This provides a possible mechanism of auditory hallucinations through interactions between 5-HT 2A, acetylcholine muscarinic and GABA transmissions in the STG in schizophrenia.

From psychoanalysis to epidemiology: autobiographical notes

From psychoanalysis to epidemiology: autobiographical notes

P03-219 An alternative-splicing hot-spot in GABRB2: Novel splicing variants associated with major psychotic disorders

GABRB2, the gene for β2 subunit of the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor, is known to display two splicing isoforms in the brain, namely β2L containing Exon 10 and β2S devoid of Exon 10. Previously, the expressions of these isoforms were correlated with both schizophrenia and various sequence polymorphisms of the gene. in the present study, a series of deletions made on Intron 9 of a minigene construct affected the expression of Exon 10, and generated additional splicing variations suggesting the existence of additional splicing variants of β2subunit. A search among brain cDNAs uncovered the two novel short forms: β2S1which is devoid of Exons 10 and 11 and bears an extended Exon 9, and β2S2 which is devoid of Exon 10 and bears a shortened Exon 11.Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, performed with a cohort of 31 schizophrenics, 30 bipolar disorder and 31 controls of US population, showed that the level of β2S2 was significantly decreased in bipolar disorder, and marginally decreased in schizophrenia, while β2S1 was marginally increased in both of these psychotic disorders. Significant genotypic effects of rs1816071, rs1816072 and rs187269 on β2S2 level were observed in male schizophrenic and bipolar patients. These findings pointed to the neighborhood of Exon 10 as an alternate-splicing hot-spot, and underlined the relevance of β2 subunit isoforms to the etiology of psychotic disorders.

P03-131 Metaglossotherapy in treatment of schizophrenia

Metaglossotherapy (MGT) is the method of treating schizophrenic patients by teaching them a new foreign language. Training of brain and establishing new associations during the course of MGT treatment has a positive influence on schizophrenic patients.Aim:To evaluate the efficacy of MGT in treating schizophrenic patients.Methods:7 long-stay male schizophrenic patients took part in the program, which lasted 5 months, 5 sessions of MGT a week. Patients were learning English. Evoked potential N400 was registered at baseline and after MGT in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the therapy. Dynamics of mental state was evaluated with help of PANSS.Results:During MGT significant changes in motivation, behavior, non-verbal expressions and emotional state of patients were observed. PANSS: negative and positive symptoms became milder, changes are statistically significant. N400 responses of schizophrenic patient do not depend on the congruity of sentence endings. Compared with healthy subjects patients generate N400 with smaller amplitude and larger latency.Conclusions:Application of MGT can create possibilities for schizophrenic patients for better relationships with the environment, to help them overcome social and emotional isolation. It is very important that activities would be led by the persons who have practical experience to work with schizophrenic patients. MGT may affect patient's response to semantic congruent sentences.

Effect of risperidone and olanzapine on reproductive hormones, psychopathology and sexual functioning in male patients with schizophrenia

To study the effect of drugs on the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis we compared the endocrine actions of two neuroleptics with different receptor affinity profiles-risperidone and olanzapine in male schizophrenic patients. We investigated the levels of prolactin, estradiol, testosterone, LH, FSH and testicular peptide hormone-inhibin B, and we assessed psychopathology (PANSS), sexual function (ASEX) and treatment adherence (DAI-10) in 89 male schizophrenic inpatients treated with olanzapine or risperidone administered orally. The initial and final evaluations were carried out at weeks 3 and 8 after the onset of treatment, respectively. At initial evaluation the mean serum prolactin and inhibin B levels were markedly higher, whereas testosterone level was lower in patients treated with risperidone, than in those treated with olanzapine. In 5 out of 50 subjects from risperidone group (10%) and in 1 from olanzapine group (2.6%) testosterone levels were below the lower limit (<241ng/ml), which reflected Leydig's cell impairment. In one patient receiving risperidone and in three receiving olanzapine, inhibin B level was below 80pg/ml, indicating Sertoli's cell dysfunction. At the final evaluation the mean serum prolactin level was markedly higher in patients taking risperidone, whereas their FSH levels were lower than in patients receiving olanzapine. In all investigated groups, except for the risperidone-hyperprolactinemic group inhibin B levels were negatively correlated with serum FSH. The mean LH, FSH, testosterone and estradiol levels were within the normal reference range at initial and final evaluation. The non-adherence to medications and ASEX scores were significantly higher in risperidone groups. Sexual dysfunction and medication non-adherence was not related to prolactin or gonadal hormone levels. Risperidone elicited higher PRL elevation than olanzapine. Treatment with this medication can be associated with disturbances in reproductive hormones (testosterone) and gonadotropins (FSH). The cause of olanzapine-elicited reduction of inhibin B level and the lack of negative correlation between FSH and inhibin B in patients with risperidone-induced hyperprolactinemia require further investigation. Patients receiving risperidone showed higher level of sexual dysfunction and treatment non-adherence than those treated with olanzapine.

Zinc, Manganese, Calcium, Copper, and Cadmium Level in Scalp Hair Samples of Schizophrenic Patients

The purpose of the study was to determine the concentration of trace elements present in scalp hair sample of schizophrenic patients and to find out the relationship between trace elements level and nutritional status or socioeconomic factors. The study was conducted among 30 schizophrenic male patients and 30 healthy male volunteers. Patients were recruited from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University by random sampling. Hair trace element concentrations were determined by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy and analyzed by independent t test, Pearson's correlation analysis, regression analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Mn, Zn, Ca, Cu, and Cd concentrations of schizophrenic patients were 3.8 +/- 2.31 microg/gm, 171.6 +/- 59.04 microg/gm, 396.23 +/- 157.83 microg/gm, 15.40 +/- 5.68 microg/gm, and 1.14 +/- 0.89 microg/gm of hair sample, while those of control subjects were 4.4 +/- 2.32 microg/gm, 199.16 +/- 27.85 microg/gm, 620.9 +/- 181.55 microg/gm, 12.23 +/- 4.56 microg/gm, and 0.47 +/- 0.32 microg/gm of hair sample, respectively. The hair concentration of Zn and Ca decreased significantly (p = 0.024; p = 0.000, respectively) and the concentration of Cu and Cd increased significantly (p = 0.021; p = 0.000, respectively) in schizophrenic patients while the concentration of Mn (p = 0.321) remain unchanged. Socioeconomic data reveals that most of the patients were poor, middle-aged and divorced. Mean body mass indices (BMIs) of the control group (22.26 +/- 1.91 kg/m(2)) and the patient group (20.42 +/- 3.16 kg/m(2)) were within the normal range (18.5-25.0 kg/m(2)). Pearson's correlation analysis suggested that only Ca concentration of patients had a significant positive correlation with the BMI (r = 0.597; p = 0.000) which was further justified from the regression analysis (R (2) = 44%; t = 3.59; p = 0.002) and one-way ANOVA test (F = 3.62; p = 0.015). A significant decrease in the hair concentration of Zn and Ca as well as a significant increase in the hair concentration of Cu and Cd in schizophrenic patients than that of its control group was observed which may provide prognostic tool for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. However, further work with larger population is suggested to examine the exact correlation between trace element level and the degree of disorder.

Pharmacokinetics of olanzapine in Chinese male schizophrenic patients with various smoking behaviors

Tobacco consumption has been recognized as a factor mediating the interindividual variations in olanzapine's pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The primary objective of this study was to describe the dose effect of smoking on the dose–plasma concentration relationship and the pharmacokinetics of oral olanzapine in male schizophrenic patients using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical detector. Twenty-seven male schizophrenic inpatients were recruited and were stratified into the following groups according to smoking behaviors: non-smokers ( n = 9), light-smokers (1–4 cigarettes per day; n = 9), and heavy-smokers (≥ 5 cigarettes per day; n = 9). Plasma olanzapine concentrations were determined up to 120 h following a single oral dose of 10 mg olanzapine. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by the non-compartment method using WinNonlin software. Results show that there was a significant correlation among non-smokers ( n = 9; 0.79; p = 0.01) or combined with light-smokers ( n = 18; 0.62; p < 0.01) between peak plasma olanzapine concentrations ( C max ) and their individual dose-corrected by body weight, but this correlation did not appear in heavy-smokers. There were no significant differences between non-smokers and light-smokers except for significant decreased AUC 0→120 by 45.1% in light-smokers. The mean C max and the mean area under the plasma concentration–time curve from time zero to 120 h (AUC 0→120) of the heavy-smoking patients was 9.3 ± 4.3 ng/ml (65.2% reduction compared to the non-smokers) and 302.4 ± 167.8 h ng/ml (67.6% reduction compared to the non-smokers), respectively. In summary, a daily consumption of 5 cigarettes is probably sufficient for induction of olanzapine metabolism. Smoking cessation is recommended for olanzapine therapy to have better prediction for therapeutic dosages particularly in heavy-smokers. Compared to non-smokers, heavy-smokers therefore require a 50–100% increase in olanzapine doses. Therapeutic drug monitoring will need to be considered when schizophrenic patients change their smoking behaviors.

Relationship between Serum Aripiprazole, Dehydroaripiprazole, Prolactin and Testosterone Concentrations and Clinical Response to Aripiprazole in Male Schizophrenic Patients

Relationship between Serum Aripiprazole, Dehydroaripiprazole, Prolactin and Testosterone Concentrations and Clinical Response to Aripiprazole in Male Schizophrenic Patients

Cardiac responses to emotion-eliciting pictures and startle stimuli in male schizophrenic patients: Emotion and attention

Cardiac responses to emotion-eliciting pictures and startle stimuli in male schizophrenic patients: Emotion and attention

ARE IRREVERSIBLE DEFICIT STATES IN CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENICS ARE REALLY IRREVERSIBLE

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of rTMS not only on the general severity of negative schizophrenia symptoms, but also particularly on their individual domains, such as affective flattening or blunting, alogia, avolition or apathy, anhedonia, and impaired attention.Forty schizophrenic male patients on stable antipsychotic medication with prominent negative symptoms were included in the study. They were divided into two groups: 23 were treated with active and 17 with placebo rTMS. Both treatments were similar, but placebo rTMS was administered using a purpose-built sham coil. Stimulation was applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The stimulation frequency was 10 Hz; stimulation intensity was 110% of the individual motor threshold intensity. Each patient received 15 rTMS sessions on 15 consecutive working days (five working days “on” and two weekend days “off” design). Each daily session consisted of 20 applications of 10-second duration with 30-second intervals between sequences. The patients and raters were blind to condition of stimulation treatment.The active rTMS led to a statistically significantly higher reduction of the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) total score and of all domains of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. After Bonferroni adjustments for multiple testing, the statistical significance disappeared in alogia only.High-frequency rTMS stimulation over the left DLPFC at a high stimulation intensity with a sufficient number of applied stimulating pulses may represent an efficient augmentation of antipsychotics in alleviating the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

A 16 WEEK RANDOMIZED DOUBLE-BLIND, DOUBLE-DUMMY TRIAL OF SUBLINGUALLY DISINTEGRATING OLANZAPINE VS. STANDARD OLANZAPINE TABLETS IN PATIENTS WHO GAINED WEIGHT DURING OLANZAPINE

Tobacco consumption has been recognized as a factor mediating the interindividual variations in olanzapine's pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The primary objective of this study was to describe the dose effect of smoking on the dose–plasma concentration relationship and the pharmacokinetics of oral olanzapine in male schizophrenic patients using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical detector. Twenty-seven male schizophrenic inpatients were recruited and were stratified into the following groups according to smoking behaviors: non-smokers (n = 9), light-smokers (1–4 cigarettes per day; n = 9), and heavy-smokers (≥ 5 cigarettes per day; n = 9). Plasma olanzapine concentrations were determined up to 120 h following a single oral dose of 10 mg olanzapine. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by the non-compartment method using WinNonlin software. Results show that there was a significant correlation among non-smokers (n = 9; 0.79; p = 0.01) or combined with light-smokers (n = 18; 0.62; p < 0.01) between peak plasma olanzapine concentrations (Cmax) and their individual dose-corrected by body weight, but this correlation did not appear in heavy-smokers. There were no significant differences between non-smokers and light-smokers except for significant decreased AUC0→120 by 45.1% in light-smokers. The mean Cmax and the mean area under the plasma concentration–time curve from time zero to 120 h (AUC0→120) of the heavy-smoking patients was 9.3 ± 4.3 ng/ml (65.2% reduction compared to the non-smokers) and 302.4 ± 167.8 h ng/ml (67.6% reduction compared to the non-smokers), respectively. In summary, a daily consumption of 5 cigarettes is probably sufficient for induction of olanzapine metabolism. Smoking cessation is recommended for olanzapine therapy to have better prediction for therapeutic dosages particularly in heavy-smokers. Compared to non-smokers, heavy-smokers therefore require a 50–100% increase in olanzapine doses. Therapeutic drug monitoring will need to be considered when schizophrenic patients change their smoking behaviors.

Cerebrospinal fluid d-serine and glycine concentrations are unaltered and unaffected by olanzapine therapy in male schizophrenic patients

N-Methyl d-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor hypofunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and d-serine and glycine add-on therapy to antipsychotics has shown beneficial effects in schizophrenic patients. Nevertheless, previous studies have not shown consistently altered d-serine concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of schizophrenic patients. To confirm and extend these results, CSF concentrations of both endogenous NMDA-receptor co-agonists d-serine and glycine and their common precursor l-serine were analyzed simultaneously in 17 healthy controls and 19 schizophrenic patients before and 6 weeks after daily olanzapine (10 mg) treatment. CSF d-serine, l-serine and glycine concentrations and their relative ratios were similar between schizophrenic patients and controls and no differences were observed before and after olanzapine therapy. Thus, the NMDA-receptor hypofunction hypothesis in schizophrenia is not explained by olanzapine therapy-dependent absolute or relative decreases in CSF d-serine and glycine concentrations in this series of male patients, thereby not providing convenient markers for the disorder.

Further evidence for the association between 5-HT2C receptor gene polymorphisms and extrapyramidal side effects in male schizophrenic patients

Antipsychotic-induced extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) are still a major problem in the treatment of schizophrenia. Serotonin 2C receptors (5-HT(2C)) have regulatory effects on dopaminergic pathways in brain regions involved with EPS. Polymorphisms in the 5-HT(2C) gene (HTR2C) have been suggested to be associated with the risk of developing EPS. Our purpose was to evaluate the impact of polymorphisms in the HTR2C gene on the occurrence of EPS in male schizophrenic patients. Ninety-nine male Caucasian chronic schizophrenic patients on long-term treatment with classical antipsychotics were genotyped for the -997 G/A, -759 C/T, -697 G/C and Cys23Ser polymorphisms of HTR2C. EPS (dystonia, parkinsonism, tardive dyskinesia) were assessed by the Simpson-Angus Scale and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. Fifty-one patients had current or previous history of EPS, whereas 48 patients had no symptoms or history of EPS. To rule out a possible association between HTR2C polymorphisms and schizophrenia, 112 healthy male volunteers were also genotyped. Allele frequencies of -997A, -759T and -697C did not differ between the groups, whereas patients with EPS had a significantly (p = 0.025) higher frequency of the 23Ser allele (0.29) than did patients without EPS (0.15) or healthy volunteers (0.13). A similar trend was observed for a haplotype including the -997G, -759C, -697C and 23Ser alleles (p = 0.04). Results confirm previously reported associations between the HTR2C 23Ser allele and EPS occurrence and suggest the novel finding of an HTR2C haplotype association with EPS in male chronic schizophrenic patients.

Fatal Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Induced by Carbamazepine Treatment in a Patient Who Previously had Carbamazepine-induced Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare but life-threatening skin disease that is most commonly drug-induced. It has recently been suggested that Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) belongs to the same group of skin disorders, although it has a lower mortality rate than TEN. We report the case of a 26-year-old male schizophrenic patient with a history of carbamazepine-induced SJS 5 years earlier. At the time of his current admission, he was admitted to our psychiatry department with acute agitation due to schizophrenia. However, the patient and his family denied history of drug allergy. After 3 days of carbamazepine treatment, the patient developed TEN (body surface area > 90%). He was transferred to the burn center, but despite appropriate treatment, including intravenous hydrocortisone 200 mg q6h and being covered with sterile biological material, he died. It is important to note that re-administration of a drug that previously caused SJS may lead to TEN, which has a very high mortality rate.

Psychopathology and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Performance in Male Schizophrenic Patients: Influence of Dual Diagnosis

Background: Different neuropsychological studies have shown schizophrenic patients to have executive function deficits, as illustrated by their performance in neuropsychological tasks such as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST); certain studies have described a relationship between these deficits and negative symptoms. Schizophrenic patients also exhibit a high lifetime prevalence (40–50%) of comorbid substance use disorders (SUDs). However, little attention has been paid to this comorbidity (dual diagnosis) in studies associating executive functions and negative symptoms. Sampling and Methods: Our objective is to investigate the relationship between performance in the WCST and psychopathology as measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in a sample of 65 male schizophrenic patients with a history of SUDs (Sch SUD+) and in a sample of 48 male schizophrenic patients without such history (Sch SUD–). Results: In the Sch SUD– group, patients who completed 4 or more categories in the WCST (‘good performers’) obtained a mean score of 21.2 ± 8.8 on the negative subscale of the PANSS, compared with a mean score of 27.8 ± 8.6 in those who completed 3 or less (‘poor performers’); these differences were statistically significant (p = 0.015). In the Sch SUD+ group, however, no association was found between WCST performance and the PANSS negative subscale score. Conclusions: The presence of a history of comorbid SUDs should be taken into consideration in studies investigating executive functions and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

P.1.g.007 Cerebellar dysfunction in male schizophrenic patients: clinical and cognitive correlates of the unified Wilson's disease rating scale (ICARS)

P.1.g.007 Cerebellar dysfunction in male schizophrenic patients: clinical and cognitive correlates of the unified Wilson's disease rating scale (ICARS)

The pro-apoptotic ARTS/Sept4 protein is significantly reduced in post-mortem brains from schizophrenic patients

Schizophrenic brains exhibit various neuro-pathological changes in size, volume and structure as compared to normal brains. These structural abnormalities could be the result of apoptotic cell death. ARTS/Sept4 protein plays an important role in induction and promotion of apoptosis. Though ARTS is highly expressed in the healthy human brain, most of tested schizophrenic brain samples showed no expression of ARTS protein. Specifically, using Western blot analysis with monoclonal anti-ARTS antibody we found that only 1 out of 14 schizophrenic samples (7%) showed a strong ARTS signal as compared to 10 out of 15 (66.6%) found in the normal controls group. Furthermore, using immunohistochemistry assay only 33.3% (5 of 15) (SE ± 12.5) of the schizophrenic patients samples showed any ARTS immunoreactivity as compared to (13 of 15) 87% (SE ± 9) of bipolar, (11 of 14) 78% (SE ± 11.3) of major depression and (10 of 14) 71% (SE ± 12.5) of normal controls. A four-fold reduction in apoptosis rate was measured in these schizophrenic samples as compared to average apoptosis rate found in all other samples. These data support the linkage between loss of ARTS expression and the loss of sensitivity towards apoptosis. Interestingly, levels of ARTS were significantly lower in male schizophrenic patients as compared to female schizophrenic patients, and males of all other control groups. We propose that ARTS may play an important role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and could be used as a marker for this disease.