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Profiles of DARPP-32 in the insular cortex with schizophrenia: a postmortem brain study
Keisuke Nishiura1, Yasuto Kunii, Akira Wada
1Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan.
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry
|August 9, 2011
Summary
Schizophrenia patients may have altered pain perception due to changes in the brain. This study found lower levels of DARPP-32 neurons in the rostral agranular insular cortex of individuals with schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Patients with schizophrenia often present with undiagnosed physical disorders, potentially linked to elevated pain thresholds.
- The rostral agranular insular cortex (RAIC) plays a role in pain perception, involving gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic and glutamatergic systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of Dopamine and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein 32 kD (DARPP-32) in the RAIC in schizophrenia.
- To examine postmortem cerebral cortex tissue for differences in DARPP-32 expression between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical examination of RAIC tissue from 11 schizophrenia patients and 10 healthy controls.
- Matched controls for sex, age, and postmortem interval (PMI).
- Quantification of DARPP-32-immunoreactive (IR) neurons in layers II and III of the RAIC.
Main Results:
- A significant decrease in the density of DARPP-32-IR neurons was observed in layers II and III of the RAIC in the schizophrenia group compared to the healthy control group (p<0.05).
Conclusions:
- Reduced DARPP-32 neuronal density in the RAIC may contribute to the pain threshold abnormalities observed in schizophrenia.
- These findings offer insights into the molecular pathogenesis of schizophrenia and its associated sensory processing deficits.
