Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0036341 (schizophrenia)
 60,220 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Recent studies have suggested that first and second generation antipsychotics (FGAs and SGAs) have different neuroprotective effects. However, the molecular mechanisms of SGAs are not fully understood, and investigations into changes in intracellular signaling related to their neuroprotective effects remain scarce. In the present study, we compared the SGA aripiprazole with the FGA haloperidol in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells via brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-mediated signaling, notably BDNF, glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta), and B cell lymphoma protein-2 (Bcl-2). We examined the effects of aripiprazole (five and 10 microM) and haloperidol (one and 10 microM) on BDNF gene promoter activity in SH-SY5Y cells transfected with a rat BDNF promoter fragment (-108 to +340) linked to the luciferase reporter gene. The changes in BDNF, p-GSK-3beta, and Bcl-2 levels were measured by Western blot analysis. The haloperidol was not associated with a significant difference in BDNF promoter activity. In contrast, aripiprazole was associated with increased BDNF promoter activity only with a dose of 10 microM (93%, p<0.01). Treatment with aripiprazole at 10 microM increased the levels of BDNF by 85%, compared with control levels (p<0.01), whereas haloperidol had no effect. Moreover, cells treated with aripirazole effectively increased the levels of GSK-3beta phosphorylation and Bcl-2 at doses of five and 10 microM (30% and 58% and 31% and 80%, respectively, p<0.05 or p<0.01). However, haloperidol had no effects on p-GSK-3 beta and Bcl-2 expression. This study showed that aripiprazole, but not haloperidol, appeared to offer neuroprotective effects on human neuronal cells. The actions of signaling systems associated with BDNF may represent key targets for both aripiprazole and haloperidol, but the latter may be associated with distinct effects. These differences might be related to the different therapeutic effects of FGAs and SGAs in patients with schizophrenia.
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PMID:Differential effects of aripiprazole and haloperidol on BDNF-mediated signal changes in SH-SY5Y cells. 1919 96

Schizophrenia is a debilitating chronic mental disorder characterized by significant lifetime risk and high social costs. Although its etiology remains unknown, many of its symptoms may be mitigated by treatment with antipsychotic drugs (APDs). These compounds, generally classified as first- or second-generation antipsychotics, have complex receptor profiles that may account for short-term clinical response and normalization of acute manifestation of the disease. However, APDs have additional therapeutic properties that may not be directly related to receptor mechanisms, but rather involve neuroadaptive changes in selected brain regions. Indeed the neurodevelopmental origin of schizophrenia suggests that the disease is characterized by neuroanatomical and pathophysiological impairments that, at molecular level, may reflect compromised neuroplasticity; the process by which the brain adapts to changes in a specific environment. Accordingly, it is possible that the long-term clinical efficacy of APDs might result from their ability in modulating systems crucially involved in neuroplasticity and cellular resilience. We have reviewed and discussed the results of several studies investigating the post-receptor mechanisms in the action of APDs. We specifically focused on intracellular signaling cascades (PKA, DARPP-32, MAPK, Akt/GSK-3, beta arrestin-2), neurotrophic factors and the glutamatergic system as important mediators for antipsychotic drug induced-neuroplasticity. Altogether, these data highlight the possibility that post-receptor mechanisms will eventually be promising targets for the development of novel drugs that, through their impact on neuroplasticity, may contribute to the improved treatment of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.
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PMID:Antipsychotic drug actions on gene modulation and signaling mechanisms. 1954 Aug 75

Phencyclidine is an N-methyl d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) blocker that has been reported to induce neuronal apoptosis during development and schizophrenia-like behaviors in rats later in life. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been shown to prevent neuronal death caused by NMDAR blockade, but the precise mechanism is unknown. This study examined the role of the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways in BDNF protection of PCP-induced apoptosis in corticostriatal organotypic cultures. It was observed that BDNF inhibited PCP-induced apoptosis in a concentration-dependent fashion. BDNF effectively prevented PCP-induced inhibition of the ERK and PI-3K/Akt pathways and suppressed GSK-3beta activation. Blockade of either PI-3K/Akt or ERK activation abolished BDNF protection. Western blot analysis revealed that the PI-3K inhibitor LY294002 prevented the stimulating effect of BDNF on the PI-3K/Akt pathway, but had no effect on the ERK pathway. Similarly, the ERK inhibitor PD98059 prevented the stimulating effect of BDNF on the ERK pathway, but not the PI-3K/Akt pathway. Co-application of LY294002 and PD98059 had no additional effect on BDNF-evoked activation of Akt or ERK. However, concurrent exposure to PD98059 and LY294002 caused much greater inhibition of BDNF-evoked phosphorylation of GSK-3beta at serine 9 than did LY294002 alone. Finally, either BDNF or GSK-3beta inhibition prevented PCP-induced suppression of cyclic-AMP response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation. These data demonstrate that the protective effect of BDNF against PCP-induced apoptosis is mediated by parallel activation of the PI-3K/Akt and ERK pathways, most likely involves inhibition of GSK-3beta and activation of CREB.
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PMID:Brain-derived neurotrophic factor prevents phencyclidine-induced apoptosis in developing brain by parallel activation of both the ERK and PI-3K/Akt pathways. 1988 77

Dopamine D(2) receptor antagonism is a unifying property of all antipsychotic drugs in clinical use. Remarkably, the effector molecules through which these medications exert their actions remain poorly characterized. Increasing attention is being focused on Akt/glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) and wingless (Wnt) signaling pathways, which have been associated with schizophrenia in a number of genetic and postmortem studies. Antipsychotic medications may treat symptoms of psychosis, at least in part, through modulation of levels and activity of Akt, GSK-3, and Wnt-related intracellular signaling. The authors review evidence that Akt/GSK-3 and Wnt-related pathways are involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia as well as details of intracellular events related to these molecules mediated by both typical and atypical antipsychotic medications. Further study of Akt/GSK-3 and Wnt signaling may ultimately lead to alternative therapeutics of schizophrenia-related disorders.
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PMID:Roles of the Akt/GSK-3 and Wnt signaling pathways in schizophrenia and antipsychotic drug action. 1991 93

The histamine H(3) receptor is involved in the central and peripheral regulation of levels of histamine and other neurotransmitters (e.g., acetylcholine, noradrenaline, dopamine, serotonin and GABA), which sets it up as a target in the treatment of various CNS (e.g., depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, dementia, neuropathic pain and sleep disorders), metabolic syndrome (e.g., obesity) and allergic disorders. Novel chemical series from the most recent 2 years of patent literature have been reviewed. While overall structural diversity is moderate, these represent or relate to some of the compounds progressing through clinical trials (e.g., GSK-189254). However, an H(3) receptor drug still has yet to reach the market. Patenting activity is likely to remain high in the near future, bolstered by the commercial promise of potential H(3) receptor drugs.
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PMID:Recent advances in the development of histamine H3 antagonists. 2014 64

Animals with the neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) demonstrate altered responsiveness to stress and various drugs reminiscent of that in schizophrenia. Post-pubertal onset of abnormalities suggests the possibility of sex differences in NVHL effects that may model sex differences in schizophrenia. Here we demonstrate that novelty- and MK-801-induced hyperactivity is evident in both male and female NVHL rats, whereas only NVHL males were hyperactive in response to apomorphine. Next, we examined the sex- and NVHL-dependent differences in the activity of the ERK and Akt pathways. The basal activity of both pathways was higher in females than in males. NVHL reduces the level of phosphorylation of ERK1/2, Akt, and GSK-3 in both sexes, although males show more consistent down-regulation. Females had higher levels of G-protein-coupled kinases [G-protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK)] 3 and 5, whereas the concentrations of other GRKs and arrestins were the same. In the nucleus accumbens, the concentration of GRK5 in females was elevated by NVHL to the male level. The data demonstrate profound sex differences in the expression and activity of signalling molecules that may underlie differential susceptibility to schizophrenia.
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PMID:Sex differences in the activity of signalling pathways and expression of G-protein-coupled receptor kinases in the neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion model of schizophrenia. 2015 34

During the last decade, disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) has emerged as a protein involved in the pathogenesis of chronic mental diseases such as schizophrenia, or recurrent affective disorders. Its multiple functions include regulating corticogenesis, synapse integrity and adult neurogenesis, indicating a key role in the hard-wiring and the maintenance of communicative abilities of the brain. From its cellular functions, the DISC1 protein is a 'molecular facilitator', which interacts with a quartenary complex including NDEL1, NDE1, LIS1, as well as the signaling molecules, GSK-3beta, PDE4B, and others. DISC1 oligomerizes, can form misassembled dysfunctional multimers as well as disease-associated insoluble protein complexes which qualify these diseases as protein conformational disorders. Disease categories ultimately serve the goal of defining pathophysiological conditions amenable to similar and efficient (pharmaco) therapies. Here, it is proposed to classify brain disorders related to dysfunctional DISC1 protein as one disease entity, that is, as DISCopathies.
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PMID:DISCopathies: brain disorders related to DISC1 dysfunction. 2039 18

Dopamine D(2) receptor antagonism is a unifying property of all antipsychotic drugs in use for schizophrenia. While often effective at ameliorating psychosis, these drugs are largely ineffective at treating negative and cognitive symptoms. Increasing attention is being focused on the complex genetics of the illness and the signaling pathways implicated in its pathophysiology. We review targeted approaches for pharmacotherapy involving the glutamatergic, GABAergic and cholinergic pathways. We also describe several of the major genetic findings that identify signaling pathways representing potential targets for novel pharmacological intervention. These include genes in the 22q11 locus, DISC1, Neuregulin 1/ErbB4, and components of the Akt/GSK-3 pathway.
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PMID:Signaling pathways in schizophrenia: emerging targets and therapeutic strategies. 2057 47

There is solid evidence of a genetic predisposition to tardive dyskinesia (TD) although the pathophysiological mechanisms of TD are still unclear. Nevertheless, the dopamine overactivity hypothesis of the TD etiology receives support from both pharmacological and physiological evidence. Dopaminergic signaling modulates the glycogen synthase kinase 3B (GSK-3B), a kinase that may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. GSK-3B is an essential element of the apoptotic signaling cascade induced by oxidative stress, which may be involved in TD pathogenesis. We investigated whether GSK-3B polymorphisms (rs11919783, rs6805251, rs7624540, rs6438552, rs4072520, rs9878473, rs6779828 and rs3755557) selected using tagging method were associated with TD manifestation and abnormal involuntary movement severity. We evaluated 215 schizophrenia subjects from whom 169 were European Caucasians. All eight evaluated variants had their minor allele carriers consistently showing lower risk to TD and lower Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. The rs6805251, rs6438552 and rs9878473 variants showed a trend for association with TD in European Caucasian subjects (permuted p=0.07). Furthermore, all tested markers showed p< or =0.0007 after we incorporated age as covariate in the analysis of the abnormal involuntary movement severity. Our results suggest that GSK-3B polymorphism may play a role in the genetic vulnerability to TD manifestation in schizophrenia subjects with European Caucasian background further implicating polymorphisms in the dopamine D2-like receptor signaling in this context. These findings should be read with caution particularly before independent replication.
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PMID:Association study of the GSK-3B gene with tardive dyskinesia in European Caucasians. 2060 20

Numerous lines of evidence suggest that a disordered circadian system contributes to the etiology and symptomatology of major psychiatric disorders. Sleep disturbances, particularly rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, have been observed in bipolar affective disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia. Therapies aimed at altering the timing and duration of sleep and realigning circadian rhythms, including sleep scheduling, wake extension, light therapy and drug therapies that alter sleep and circadian rhythms appear beneficial for affective disorders. Interventional studies aiming to correct sleep and circadian disturbances in schizophrenia are scarce, although exogenous melatonin has been shown to improve both sleep structure and psychotic symptoms. The study of molecular clock mechanisms in psychiatric disorders is also gaining interest. Genetics studies have found associations with CLOCK, PERIOD1, PERIOD3, and TIMELESS in schizophrenia. Most research on BPD has focused on polymorphisms of CLOCK, but the lithium target GSK-3 may also be significant. New research examining the role of circadian rhythms and clock genes in major mental illness is likely to produce rapid advances in circadian-based therapeutics.
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PMID:Circadian rhythms and clock genes in psychotic disorders. 2068 97


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