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Updated: Mar 26, 2026
Standardized Data Acquisition for Neuromelanin-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Substantia Nigra
Published on: September 8, 2021
Fatty acid composition and fatty acid binding protein expression in the postmortem frontal cortex of patients with
Kei Hamazaki1, Motoko Maekawa2, Tomoko Toyota2
1Laboratory for Molecular Psychiatry, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama City, Toyama 9300194, Japan.
Background:
Abnormal levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have been found in the postmortem frontal cortex, particularly the orbitofrontal cortex, of patients with schizophrenia. Altered mRNA expression of fatty acid binding protein (FABP) 5 and FABP7 has likewise been reported.
Methods:
This study investigated whether PUFAs in the frontal cortex [Brodmann area (BA) 8] and mRNA expression of FABP3, 5, and 7 were different between patients with schizophrenia (n=95) and unaffected controls (n=93).
Results:
In contrast to previous studies, no significant differences were found in DHA between the groups. Although arachidonic acid (AA) levels were significantly decreased in the schizophrenia group, no association was found between AA and schizophrenia on logistic regression analysis. Only FABP3 expression was significantly lower in the schizophrenia group than in the control group. Significant inverse associations were seen between only two saturated fatty acids, behenic acid and lignoceric acid, and FABP3 expression.
Conclusions:
We found no evidence that major PUFA levels in BA8 are involved in the etiology of schizophrenia. Although FABP3 expression was not correlated with any of the major PUFAs, it might play a novel role in the pathology of BA8 in a subset of patients with schizophrenia.
