Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026
08:44
Dynamic Clamp Methods to Investigate Impaired Neuronal Excitability Associated with Autism
Published on: October 17, 2025
SNARE proteins and schizophrenia: linking synaptic and neurodevelopmental hypotheses
Reuben D Johnson1, Peter L Oliver, Kay E Davies
1Department of Physiology, Human Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, England. reubenjohnson@doctors.org.uk
Acta Biochimica Polonica
|November 6, 2008
Summary
Schizophrenia research suggests that problems with synaptic connections, particularly involving the SNARE complex, are key to the disorder. New studies in mouse models and humans highlight the SNARE complex
Area of Science:
- Neurobiology
- Psychiatry
- Molecular Neuroscience
Background:
- Schizophrenia is increasingly understood through the lens of disrupted synaptic connectivity.
- This disruption may stem from impaired synaptic transmission and developmental abnormalities in the central nervous system.
- The synaptic hypothesis aligns with neurodevelopmental models and antipsychotic drug mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the SNARE complex in the etiology and pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
- To review evidence from animal and human studies on SNARE complex involvement in schizophrenia.
- To explore synaptic proteins, specifically the SNARE complex, as targets for understanding schizophrenia pathology.
Main Methods:
- Review of evidence from animal models of human disease.
- Analysis of human clinical studies.
- Focus on synaptic proteins and the SNARE complex's function in synaptic transmission.
Main Results:
- The SNARE complex plays a critical role in synaptic transmission.
- New mouse models provide significant insights into the SNARE complex's function.
- Evidence from both animal and human studies implicates the SNARE complex in schizophrenia.
Conclusions:
- The SNARE complex is fundamentally involved in the development and progression of schizophrenia.
- Synaptic protein research, particularly on the SNARE complex, is crucial for understanding schizophrenia.
- Further investigation into the SNARE complex offers potential therapeutic avenues for schizophrenia.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Biological Causes of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, a severe psychiatric disorder, arises from a complex interplay of biological factors, including genetic predisposition, structural brain abnormalities, neurotransmitter dysregulation, and developmental irregularities. These factors collectively contribute to the onset and progression of the disorder, which typically manifests in late adolescence or early adulthood.
Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia
The genetic basis of schizophrenia is strongly supported by family and twin studies.
Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia
The genetic basis of schizophrenia is strongly supported by family and twin studies.
01:27Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose origins are rooted in complex genetic components. Despite our burgeoning understanding, the pathophysiology of this disorder remains incompletely deciphered.
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within the...
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within the...
01:29Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder, has been historically misunderstood. Early psychological theories attributed its origins to childhood trauma and unresponsive parenting. However, contemporary research largely rejects these notions, favoring the vulnerability-stress hypothesis. This model proposes that individuals with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may develop the disorder following exposure to significant environmental stressors. Notably, studies on high-risk...
01:28Integration of Synaptic Events
Synaptic integration mainly includes the summation of graded potentials. Graded potentials, regardless of their type, cause subtle alterations in membrane voltage, resulting in either depolarization or hyperpolarization. These incremental changes, when combined or summed, can propel the neuron toward its threshold. Consider, for example, a membrane experiencing a +15 mV shift, causing it to depolarize from -70 mV to -55 mV. In this scenario, graded potentials govern the membrane's ability to...
01:29Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters
When an action potential reaches the presynaptic axon terminal, it releases neurotransmitters from the neuron into the synaptic cleft at a chemical synapse. The released neurotransmitter can be excitatory or inhibitory. The critical criteria commonly used to determine whether a molecule is a neurotransmitter at a chemical synapse are the molecule's presence in the presynaptic neuron. Second, its release is in response to strong presynaptic depolarization. And lastly, the presence of specific...
01:43SNAREs and Membrane Fusion
Once a transport vesicle has recognized its target organelle, the vesicular membrane needs to fuse with the target membrane to unload the cargo. Transmembrane proteins called SNAREs present on organelle membranes and their vesicles, mediate vesicle fusion.
SNAREs exist in pairs that symmetrically interact and catalyze the fusion of the lipid bilayers in vesicle and target organelle. v-SNARE in the vesicle membrane are single polypeptide chains that bind to a complementary t-SNARE, composed of 2...
SNAREs exist in pairs that symmetrically interact and catalyze the fusion of the lipid bilayers in vesicle and target organelle. v-SNARE in the vesicle membrane are single polypeptide chains that bind to a complementary t-SNARE, composed of 2...