Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects young adults and is manifested by a disruption in cognition and emotion, along with negative (i.e., apathy, poor or nonexistent social functioning) and positive (presence of hallucinations, delusions) symptoms, and a lifetime prevalence of 1%. Our proposal will evaluate the degree of involvement of GABAergic receptor families, Reelin, and GAD65 and GAD67 kDa and their constituent signaling systems in postmortem brain samples of subjects with schizophrenia vs. subjects with bipolar disorder, major depression, and matched controls. The central hypothesis of this application is that expression of molecules involved in the Reelin and GABAergic signaling pathways are altered in subjects with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression resulting in dysfunctional signaling and consequent brain abnormalities in these disorders. We plan to test our central hypothesis and accomplish the objectives of this application by pursuing the following three Specific Aims: 1) Systematically determine mRNA and protein levels for members of the Reelin signaling system in frontal cortex, anterior hippocampus, and lateral cerebellum of subjects with schizophrenia vs. subjects with bipolar disorder, major depression, and matched controls;2) Determine the mRNA and protein levels of GAD65, GAD67, and selected GABA receptors in frontal cortex, anterior hippocampus, and lateral cerebellum of subjects with schizophrenia vs. subjects with bipolar disorder, major depression, and matched controls;and 3) Characterize microRNA and miRNA target gene expression in frontal cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum of subjects with schizophrenia vs. subjects with bipolar disorder, major depression, and controls. We will employ previously established qRT-PCR, western blotting, immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization and miRNA microarray techniques to quantify various mRNA and protein species. This proposal has the potential to accomplish multiple objectives: 1) Discover systematic changes in Reelin, its receptors, and downstream molecules, in key abnormal structures in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression: frontal cortex (Brodman's area (BA) 6), anterior hippocampus, and lateral cerebellum;2) Determine coordinated changes in molecules and identifying relationships among molecules of the Reelin signaling system;3) Characterize changes in the mRNA and protein levels for GABA receptors, GAD65 and GAD67 kDa molecules in anterior hippocampal, lateral cerebellar, and frontal cortices of subjects with schizophrenia vs. matched bipolar, depressed, and healthy controls;4) Discover relationships among Reelin and GABAergic signaling system molecules that explain dysfunction of these two systems in the pathology of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression;and 5) Test whether miRNAs may be responsible for altered expression of Reelin and GABAergic signaling molecules in subjects with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression.

Public Health Relevance

Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects young adults and is manifested by a disruption in cognition and emotion, along with negative (i.e., apathy, poor or nonexistent social functioning) and positive (presence of hallucinations, delusions) symptoms. There is a lifetime prevalence of 1%. Our proposal will evaluate the degree of involvement of GABAergic receptor families, Reelin, and GAD65 and GAD67 kDa and their constituent signaling systems in postmortem brain samples of subjects with schizophrenia vs. subjects with bipolar disorder, major depression, and matched controls. Such outcomes will be significant, because they are expected to identify biochemical mechanisms responsible for abnormal brain development.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH086000-05
Application #
8644898
Study Section
Pathophysiological Basis of Mental Disorders and Addictions Study Section (PMDA)
Program Officer
Meinecke, Douglas L
Project Start
2010-06-01
Project End
2015-03-31
Budget Start
2014-04-01
Budget End
2015-03-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Country
United States
Zip Code
55455
Fatemi, S Hossein; Folsom, Timothy D; Thuras, Paul D (2017) GABAA and GABAB receptor dysregulation in superior frontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Synapse 71:
Folsom, Timothy D; Thuras, Paul D; Fatemi, S Hossein (2015) Protein expression of targets of the FMRP regulon is altered in brains of subjects with schizophrenia and mood disorders. Schizophr Res 165:201-11
Fatemi, S Hossein; Folsom, Timothy D (2015) GABA receptor subunit distribution and FMRP-mGluR5 signaling abnormalities in the cerebellum of subjects with schizophrenia, mood disorders, and autism. Schizophr Res 167:42-56
Fatemi, S Hossein; Folsom, Timothy D (2014) Existence of monomer and dimer forms of mGluR5, under reducing conditions in studies of postmortem brain in various psychiatric disorders. Schizophr Res 158:270-1
Fatemi, S H; Folsom, T D; Rooney, R J et al. (2013) Expression of GABAA ?2-, ?1- and ?-receptors are altered significantly in the lateral cerebellum of subjects with schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder. Transl Psychiatry 3:e303
Fatemi, S H; Folsom, T D; Rooney, R J et al. (2013) mRNA and protein expression for novel GABAA receptors ? and ?2 are altered in schizophrenia and mood disorders; relevance to FMRP-mGluR5 signaling pathway. Transl Psychiatry 3:e271
Fatemi, S Hossein (2013) Cerebellum and autism. Cerebellum 12:778-9
Folsom, Timothy D; Fatemi, S Hossein (2013) The involvement of Reelin in neurodevelopmental disorders. Neuropharmacology 68:122-35
Fatemi, S Hossein; Folsom, Timothy D (2011) The role of fragile X mental retardation protein in major mental disorders. Neuropharmacology 60:1221-6
Fatemi, S Hossein (2011) Reelin, a marker of stress resilience in depression and psychosis. Neuropsychopharmacology 36:2371-2

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