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)

We previously reported familial aggregation in flush response to niacin skin patch among schizophrenia patients and their nonpsychotic relatives. However, little is known about whether this abnormal skin response is associated with genetic loading for schizophrenia. This study compared the niacin flush response in subjects from families with only one member affected with schizophrenia (simplex families) with those from families having a sib-pair with schizophrenia (multiplex families). Subjects were patients with schizophrenia and their nonpsychotic first-degree relatives from simplex families (176 probands, 260 parents, and 80 siblings) and multiplex families (311 probands, 180 parents, and 52 siblings) as well as 94 healthy controls. Niacin patches of 3 concentrations (0.001M, 0.01M, and 0.1M) were applied to forearm skin, and the flush response was rated at 5, 10, and 15 minutes, respectively, with a 4-point scale. More attenuated flush response to topical niacin was shown in schizophrenia probands and their relatives from multiplex families than in their counterparts from simplex families, and the differentiation was better revealed using 0.1M concentration of niacin than 0.01M or 0.001M. For the highest concentration of 0.1M and the longest time lag of 15 minutes, a subgroup of probands (23%), parents (27%), and siblings (19%) still exhibited nonflush response. Flush response to niacin skin patch is more impaired in schizophrenia patients and their relatives from families with higher genetic loading for schizophrenia, and this finding has implications for future genetic dissection of schizophrenia.
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PMID:Impaired flush response to niacin skin patch among schizophrenia patients and their nonpsychotic relatives: the effect of genetic loading. 1820 58

Pyridoxal phosphate and pyridoxamine phosphate, the catalytically active forms of vitamin B(6), influence brain function by participating at stages in metabolism of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, other coenzymes and hormones. Vitamin B(6) participates in the metabolism of amino acids in the form of decarboxylation, transamination, deamination, racemization and desulfhydration reactions. The crucial roles that these coenzymes play in the maintenance of functional integrity of the brain become evident when one realizes that some compounds implicated as neurotransmitters are synthesized and/or metabolized by the aid of the vitamin B(6)-dependent enzymatic reactions. These include dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, tyramine, tryptamine, taurine, histamine, gamma aminobutyric acid, and even acetylcholine indirectly. In recent years, the above-mentioned biogenic amines have become of considerable interest to neurobiologists who are investigating the etiology and the pathological manifestations of many disorders of the central nervous system such as Parkinsonism, Huntington's chorea, minimal brain disfunction, schizophrenia, depression, sleep disorders and seizure disorders. Vitamin B(6) deficiency in these cases is characterized by anemia, growth retardation and alteration in neuronal function, including neuropathies, hyperirritability, hyperexcitability and convulsions. The importance of vitamin B(6) in the study of brain function assumes still greater significance when one considers the effects of nutritional deficiencies on growth and development of the brain and mental processes and in the involvement of vitamin B(6) in some inborn errors of metabolism which result in mental retardation. Vitamin B(6) deficiency results in a lowered concentration of Coenzyme A in blood, in reduced absorption and storage of vitamin B(12), and in increased excretion of vitamin C. Furthermore, vitamin B(6) acts synergistically with vitamin E to control metabolism of unsaturated fats, with vitamin C in tyrosine metabolism and with niacin in its action and participates in niacin synthesis. In addition, vitamin B(6) deficiency results in insufficiency of insulin and in alteration of the functions of adrenal and pituitary glands, since it is involved in the synthesis of growth hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, aldosterone, glucagon, cortisol, estradiol, testosterone and epinephrine. It is hoped that by understanding the factors that regulate the synthesis, binding, storage and degradation of pyridoxal phosphate in the brain, a better insight into the role of vitamin B(6) in neurobiology may be gained.
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PMID:Regulation and function of pyridoxal phosphate in CNS. 1964 63

Nutrition as a treatment component for schizophrenia is a novel concept. A brief introduction outlines the need for physicians to become nutritionally minded, since the processing of food has deteriorated its quality. The elements of good nutrition are described.There are several etiologies for the schizophrenia syndrome. It is suggested that these include Vitamin B-3 and B-6 dependency, mineral deficiency, particularly zinc, and cerebral reactions (termed allergy). The treatment based upon these ideas includes good nutrition (junk-free diet), megadoses of some vitamins, minerals, attention to certain foods which produce psychosis in a few; all in a judicious combination with standard psychiatric therapy. Such a program will improve the recovery rate over standard therapy alone.
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PMID:Nutrition and schizophrenia. 2046 84

Schizophrenia patients frequently display reduced niacin flush responses, and similar characteristics are also observed in their nonpsychotic relatives. This study aimed to identify loci influencing flush response to niacin in schizophrenia using genome-wide quantitative linkage scan. In a nationwide sample of families with at least 2 siblings affected with schizophrenia in each family, 115 families that had at least 2 affected siblings with information on the niacin skin test were subjected to quantitative trait loci linkage analysis, either involving affected individuals only or the whole family. Nonparametric linkage z (NPL-Z) scores were calculated for each of 386 microsatellite markers spaced at an average of 9-cM intervals. Niacin patches of 3 concentrations (0.001 M, 0.01, and 0.1 M) were applied to forearm skin, and the flush response was rated at 5, 10, and 15 minutes, respectively, with a 4-point scale. Determination of genome-wide empirical significance was implemented using 1000 simulated genome scans. One linkage peak attaining genome-wide significance was identified at chromosomal region 14q32.12 for 0.01 M concentration at 5 minutes (NPL-Z scores = 3.39, genome-wide empirical P = .03) in affected individuals, and the corresponding linkage signal remained strong (NPL-Z scores = 2.87) for the analyses of the whole family. This locus is distinct from the chromosomal region identified in the previous genome-wide scan for the diagnosis of schizophrenia, and the signal was higher than the peak linkage signal in that study. These findings indicate that there might be modifier or susceptibility-modifier genes at 14q32.12 for schizophrenia-related attenuation of flush response to niacin.
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PMID:A genome-wide quantitative linkage scan of niacin skin flush response in families with schizophrenia. 2165 77

Methylation, a methyl group-consuming reaction, plays a key role in the degradation (i.e., inactivation) of monoamine neurotransmitters, including catecholamines, serotonin and histamine. Without labile methyl groups, the methylation-mediated degradation cannot take place. Although high niacin (nicotinic acid and nicotinamide) intake, which is very common nowadays, is known to deplete the body's methyl-group pool, its effect on monoamine-neurotransmitter degradation is not well understood. The aim of this article was to investigate the effect of excess nicotinamide on the levels of plasma serotonin and histamine in healthy subjects. Urine and venous blood samples were collected from nine healthy male volunteers before and after oral loading with 100 mg nicotinamide. Plasma N(1)-methylnicotinamide, urinary N(1)-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide (2-Py), and plasma betaine levels were measured by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Plasma concentrations of choline, serotonin and histamine were measured using commercial kits. The results showed that the plasma N(1)-methylnicotinamide level and the urinary excretion of 2-Py significantly increased after oral loading with 100 mg nicotinamide, which was accompanied with a decrease in the methyl-group donor betaine. Compared with those before nicotinamide load, five-hour postload plasma serotonin and histamine levels significantly increased. These results suggest that excess nicotinamide can disturb monoamine-neurotransmitter metabolism. These findings may be of significance in understanding the etiology of monoamine-related mental diseases, such as schizophrenia and autism (a neurodevelopmental disorder).
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PMID:Excess nicotinamide increases plasma serotonin and histamine levels. 2342 11

The various roles of membrane lipids in human health has urged researchers to study their impact in neuropsychiatric diseases, especially in schizophrenia spectrum disorders and more recently in early stages of psychosis. The progress in mass spectrometry technologies now allows a more comprehensive analysis of phospholipids (PL) and their fatty acid (FA) molecular species. FA are defined by a carbon chain of variable length and are said to be unsaturated when their chain has one or more carbon-carbon double bonds. The PL are composed of a hydrophilic polar head with a phosphoric acid group and an hydrophobic part with FAs; they encompass glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. The plasma membrane is a complex and dynamic structure consisting of a lipid bilayer composed of an outer layer and an inner layer of specific lipid composition. The permanent remodeling of membrane lipids involves phospholipases especially the phospholipase A2. Seventy percent of the brain consists of lipids from different classes and molecular species. Most of the brain lipids are composed of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-enriched diacyl classes where omega-3 and omega-6 molecular species predominate. The balance between omega-3 and omega-6 is important for the neurodevelopment. PUFA are also involved in neurogenesis and neurotransmission. Sphingomyelin (SM) is a sphingolipid that influences inflammation, cell proliferation and lipid rafts formation. It is an important component of myelin sheaths of white matter and therefore is involved in cerebral connectivity. In rat models, deficiency in omega-3 causes abnormalities in dopaminergic neurotransmission, impacts on the functioning of some receptors (including cannabinoids CB1, glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, NMDA), and increases sensitivity to hallucinogens. In contrast, omega-3 supplementation improves cognitive function and prevents psychotic-like behavior in some animal models for schizophrenia. It also reduces oxidative stress and prevents demyelination. The historical membrane hypothesis of schizophrenia has led to explore the lipids abnormality in this disorder. This hypothesis was initially based on the observation of an abnormal membrane prostaglandin production in schizophrenia caused by a membrane arachidonic acid deficiency. It has evolved emphasizing the various PUFA membrane's roles in particular regarding oxidative stress, inflammation and regulation of the NMDA receptors. In patients with mental disorders, low omega-3 index is more frequent than in the general population. This lipid abnormality could lead to myelination abnormalities and cognitive deficits observed in patients. It could also participate in oxidative stress abnormalities and inflammation reported in schizophrenia. On the other hand, low omega-3 index deficit was reported to be associated with an increased cardiovascular risk, and omega-3 supplementation may also have a positive cardiovascular impact in psychiatric patients, even more than in the general population. The presence of membrane lipid abnormalities is also found in patients during the first psychotic episode (FEP). The omega-3 supplementation improved the recovery rate and prevented the loss of gray matter in FEP. In patients at ultra-high risk to develop a psychotic disorder (UHR), omega-3 supplementation has been associated with a reduction of the rate of conversion to psychosis and with metabolic changes, such as decreased activity of phospholipase A2. However, this study has not as yet been replicated. Not all patients exhibit lipid abnormalities. Several studies, including studies from our team, have found a bimodal distribution of lipids in patients with schizophrenia. But some studies have found differences (in PUFA) in the acute phase whereas our studies (on phospholipids) are in chronic phases. It will be interesting to study in more depth the links between these two parameters. Furthermore, we identified a subgroup which was identified with a deficit in sphingomyelin and PUFA whereas others have found an increase of sphingomyelin. Individuals with this abnormal lipid cluster had more cognitive impairments and more severe clinical symptoms. Because the niacin test is an indirect reflection of arachidonic acid levels, it has been proposed to identify a subset of patients with membrane lipids anomalies. Niacin test response is influenced by several factors related to lipid metabolism, including cannabis use and phospholipase A2 activity. Despite progress, the function and impact of membrane lipids are still poorly understood in schizophrenia. They could serve as biomarkers for identifying biological subgroups among patients with schizophrenia. In UHR patients, their predictive value on the conversion to psychosis should be tested. Omega-3 supplementation could be a promising treatment thanks to its good tolerance and acceptability. It could be more appropriate for patients with PUFA anomalies in a more personalized medical approach.
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PMID:[Membrane lipids in schizophrenia and early phases of psychosis: Potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets?] 3215 46


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