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Phospholipase A2 activity is associated with structural brain changes in schizophrenia.

Stefan Smesny¹, Berko Milleit, Igor Nenadic

¹Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany. Stefan.Smesny@med.uni-jena.de

|May 19, 2010

Summary

Altered membrane lipid biochemistry, measured by cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) activity, is linked to brain structure changes in schizophrenia patients. This association differs between early and chronic disease stages.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Biochemistry
Psychiatry

Background:

Schizophrenia exhibits robust regional brain structural changes, but underlying pathophysiology is unclear.
Abnormal neuronal/dendritic plasticity may involve alterations in membrane lipids.
Cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) plays a role in membrane lipid remodelling and repair.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between serum PLA(2) activity and regional brain structure in schizophrenia patients.
To explore differences in this association between first-episode and recurrent-episode schizophrenia.

Main Methods:

Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis of T1-high-resolution MRI scans.
Correlation of gray and white matter changes with serum PLA(2) activity in 24 schizophrenia patients and 25 healthy controls.
Comparison of findings between drug-naïve/off-medication patients and healthy controls.

Main Results:

PLA(2) activity was elevated in schizophrenia patients.
First-episode patients showed structural abnormalities in frontal, medial temporal, and temporal gyri.
Distinct patterns of PLA(2)-activity association with structural changes were observed in first-episode versus recurrent-episode patients, involving prefrontal cortex, thalamus, caudate nucleus, and cerebellum.

Conclusions:

Findings suggest a link between membrane lipid biochemistry and focal brain structural abnormalities in schizophrenia.
Differential patterns may reflect localized regenerative activity in early disease and neurodegeneration in later stages.