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CSF GABA is reduced in first-episode psychosis and associates to symptom severity.
- Source :
-
Molecular psychiatry [Mol Psychiatry] 2018 May; Vol. 23 (5), pp. 1244-1250. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 Mar 14. - Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Schizophrenia is characterized by a multiplicity of symptoms arising from almost all domains of mental function. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and is increasingly recognized to have a significant role in the pathophysiology of the disorder. In the present study, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of GABA were analyzed in 41 first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients and 21 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers by high-performance liquid chromatography. We found lower CSF GABA concentration in FEP patients compared with that in the healthy volunteers, a condition that was unrelated to antipsychotic and/or anxiolytic medication. Moreover, lower CSF GABA levels were associated with total and general score of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, illness severity and probably with a poor performance in a test of attention. This study offers clinical in vivo evidence for a potential role of GABA in early-stage schizophrenia.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Antipsychotic Agents therapeutic use
Brain metabolism
Case-Control Studies
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid methods
Female
Humans
Male
Psychotic Disorders diagnosis
Schizophrenia drug therapy
Young Adult
Psychotic Disorders cerebrospinal fluid
Schizophrenia cerebrospinal fluid
gamma-Aminobutyric Acid cerebrospinal fluid
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1476-5578
- Volume :
- 23
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Molecular psychiatry
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 28289277
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2017.25