Increased activity of glutamate in the brain promotes the development of schizophrenia in people at risk of developing this disease, suggest the results of research published in the journal Neuron.
Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center (USA) used brain neuroimaging methods and observed that in patients at increased risk of developing schizophrenia, the first symptom was excessive activity of glutamate (one of the neurotransmitters) in the hippocampus, followed by there was an increased metabolism followed by atrophy of this part of the limbic system.
In order to test whether it was the action of the neurotransmitter that caused the further consequences, researchers provoked increased glutamate activity in mice and found that it also led to hypermetabolism in the hippocampus, and that repeated episodes of glutamate overactivity eventually resulted in atrophy of this area of the brain.
Previous research into schizophrenia has shown that hypermetabolism and hippocampal atrophy are among the major changes in the patient’s brain. Recent research results suggest that these changes occur in the early stages of the disease, indicating that brain processes can be detected before the disorder develops, says Scott Small, one of the researchers.
The scientists’ discovery can be used for the early diagnosis of people prone to the onset of schizophrenic psychosis, as well as for the development of treatments that would prevent the onset of the disease or at least slow down the process of its formation.
Attempts to reduce the activity of glutamate have already been made, but only in people in advanced stages of the disease.
Focusing on glutamate activity may be more useful in people who are susceptible to the disease or exhibit symptoms of the disorder, suggests Jeffrey A. Liebierman of the American Psychiatric Association.
In contrast, Bita Moghaddam from the University of Pittsburgh (USA) notes that an excess of glutamate may also explain why the first psychotic episodes in patients are often triggered by stressful events – stress increases the activity of this neurotransmitter in the brain (PAP).
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