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)

Schizophrenia is a complex constellation of positive, negative and cognitive symptoms. Acute administration of the non-competitive antagonist of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) dizocilpine (MK801) in rats is one of few preclinical animal models of this disorder that has both face and/or construct validity for these multiple at-risk behavioral domains and predictive power for the efficacy of therapeutic drugs in treating them. This study asked whether and to what extent the rat NMDAR hypofunction model also embodies the sex differences that distinguish the symptoms of schizophrenia and their treatment. Thus, we compared the effects of acute MK801, with and without pretreatment with haloperidol or clozapine, on seven discrete spontaneous open-field activities in adult male and female rats. These analyses revealed that MK801 was more effective in stimulating ataxia and locomotion and inhibiting stationary behavior in females while more potently stimulating stereotypy and thigmotaxis and inhibiting rearing and grooming in males. Haloperidol and clozapine pretreatments had markedly different efficacies in terms of behaviors but strong similarities in their effectiveness in male and female subjects. These results bear intriguing relationships with the complex male/female differences that characterize the symptoms of schizophrenia and suggest possible applications for acute NMDAR hypofunction as a preclinical model for investigating the neurobiology that underlies them.
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PMID:Acute N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor hypofunction induced by MK801 evokes sex-specific changes in behaviors observed in open-field testing in adult male and proestrus female rats. 2308 19

Ketamine, phencyclidine and MK801 are uncompetitive NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antagonists which are used widely to model certain features of schizophrenia in rats. Systemic administration of NMDAR antagonists, in addition to provoking an increase in c-Fos expression, leads to important neurochemical and electrophysiological changes within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Since the mPFC is considered to exert a top-down regulatory control of subcortical brain regions, we examined the effects of local infusion of the NMDAR antagonist, MK801, into the mPFC on the expression of c-Fos protein (widely used marker of neuronal activation) in several subcortical structures. The experiment was performed on freely moving rats, bilaterally implanted with guide cannulae in the prelimbic mPFC, infused with MK801 or saline. Bilateral administration of MK801 to the mPFC produced changes in the behavior (increased stereotypy and decreased sleep-like behavior) and complex changes in c-Fos protein expression with significant increases observed in the nucleus accumbens (core and shell), amygdala (basolateral and central nuclei), the CA1 field of the hippocampus, and mediodorsal and paraventricular thalamic nuclei, as compared to the saline group. Together, we demonstrate that blockade of NMDA receptors in the mPFC is sufficient to lead to behavioral abnormalities and increased c-Fos expression in many, but not all, of the subcortical structures examined. Our findings suggest that some of the behavioral abnormalities produced by uncompetitive NMDAR antagonists may result from aberrant activity in cortico-subcortical pathways. These data support an increasing body of literature, suggesting that the mPFC is an important site mediating the effects of NMDAR antagonists.
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PMID:Local blockade of NMDA receptors in the rat prefrontal cortex increases c-Fos expression in multiple subcortical regions. 2309 8

Improved understanding of the actions of antipsychotic compounds is critical for a better treatment of schizophrenia. Abnormal oscillatory activity has been found in schizophrenia and in rat models of the disease. N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) antagonists, used to model certain features of schizophrenia, increase the frequency and power of high-frequency oscillations (HFO, 130-180 Hz) in the rat nucleus accumbens, a brain region implicated in schizophrenia pathology. Antipsychotics can be classified as first- and second-generation drugs, the latter often reported to have wider benefit in humans and experimental models. This prompted the authors to examine the pre- and post-treatment effects of clozapine, risperidone (second-generation drugs) and sulpiride and haloperidol (first-generation drugs) on ketamine and MK801-enhanced accumbal HFO. Both NMDAR antagonists increased HFO frequency. In contrast, clozapine and risperidone markedly and dose-dependently reduced the frequency of spontaneous and NMDAR-antagonist-enhanced HFO, whilst a moderate effect was found for sulpiride and a much weaker effect for haloperidol. Unexpectedly, we found reductions in HFO frequency were associated with an increase in its power. These findings indicate that modulation of accumbal HFO frequency may be a fundamental effect produced by antipsychotic compounds. Of the drugs investigated, first- and second-generation compounds could be dissociated by their potency on this measure. This effect may partially explain the differences in the clinical profile of these drugs.
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PMID:Antipsychotic compounds differentially modulate high-frequency oscillations in the rat nucleus accumbens: a comparison of first- and second-generation drugs. 2317 38

It is postulated that disruptions of glutamatergic signalling may underlie the pathophysiology of psychosis and schizophrenia. A strong body of evidence indicates that antagonism of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) leads to similar molecular, cellular, cognitive and behavioural changes in rodents and/or humans to those that have been identified to occur in psychosis. One of the main loci of change appears to comprise the hippocampus, raising the question as to whether changes in hippocampal glutamatergic transmission may drive changes in GABAergic and dopaminergic-mediated signalling in schizophreniform diseases. NMDAR antagonists such as MK801, PCP and ketamine all elicit similar psychosis-related effects, with MK801 inducing the most potent psychotomimetic reactions. Treatment with MK801 is associated with a loss of hippocampal synaptic plasticity, hippocampus-dependent learning and cognitive deficits. These findings have raised the question as to whether targeting the NMDA receptors or its modulators could prove an effective strategy in treatment of psychosis and schizophrenia. Specifically, the otherwise untreatable negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia currently comprise the highest research priority. A single injection with MK801 has been used to emulate first-episode psychosis in animals. This treatment induces both psychosis-related acute effects but interestingly also persisting consequences, which might be more sensitive as indicators of drug efficacy. Here, we review the current status of the field with regard to the MK801 animal model of first-episode psychosis and its relevance for the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia. Furthermore, we argue that synaptic plasticity may be a better assay for assessing novel schizophrenia therapeutics than behavioural evaluation. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Glutamate Receptor-Dependent Synaptic Plasticity'.
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PMID:Long-lasting changes in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and cognition in an animal model of NMDA receptor dysfunction in psychosis. 2337 21

Irreversible N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonism is known to provoke symptoms of psychosis and schizophrenia in healthy humans. NMDAR hypofunction is believed to play a central role in the pathophysiology of both disorders and in an animal model of psychosis, that is based on irreversible antagonism of NMDARs, pronounced deficits in hippocampal synaptic plasticity have been reported shortly after antagonist treatment. Here, we examined the long-term consequences for long-term potentiation (LTP) of a single acute treatment with an irreversible antagonist and investigated whether deficits are associated with memory impairments. The ability to express LTP at the perforant pathway - dentate gyrus synapse, as well as object recognition memory was assessed 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after a single treatment of the antagonist, MK801. Here, LTP in freely behaving rats was significantly impaired at all time-points compared to control LTP before treatment. Object recognition memory was also significantly poorer in MK801-treated compared to vehicle-treated animals for several weeks after treatment. Histological analysis revealed no changes in brain tissue. Taken together, these data support that acute treatment with an irreversible NMDAR-antagonist persistently impairs hippocampal functioning on behavioral, as well as synaptic levels. The long-term deficits in synaptic plasticity may underlie the cognitive impairments that are associated with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.
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PMID:Persistent deficits in hippocampal synaptic plasticity accompany losses of hippocampus-dependent memory in a rodent model of psychosis. 2350 74

Infections during pregnancy and subsequent maternal immune activation (MIA) increase risk for schizophrenia in offspring. The progeny of rodents injected with the viral infection mimic polyI:C during gestation display brain and behavioural abnormalities but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Since the blood kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan degradation impacts brain function and is strongly regulated by the immune system, we tested if KP changes occur in polyI:C offspring at preadolescence. We also tested whether MK801-induced hyperlocomotion, a behaviour characteristic of adult polyI:C offspring, is prevented by adolescent treatment with celecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor that impacts the KP. Pregnant rats were treated with polyI:C (4mg/kg, i.v.) or vehicle on gestational day 19. Serum levels of KP metabolites were measured in offspring of polyI:C or vehicle treated dams at postnatal day (PND) 31-33 using HPLC/GCMS. Additional polyI:C or vehicle exposed offspring were given celecoxib or vehicle between PND 35 and 46 and tested with MK801 (0.3mg/kg) in adulthood (PND>90). Prenatal polyI:C resulted in increases in the serum KP neurotoxic metabolite quinolinic acid at PND 31-33 (105%, p=0.014). In contrast, the neuroprotective kynurenic acid and its precursor kynurenine were significantly decreased (28% p=0.027, and 31% p=0.033, respectively). Picolinic acid, another neuroprotective KP metabolite, was increased (31%, p=0.014). Adolescent treatment with celecoxib (2.5 and 5mg/kg/day, i.p.) prevented the development of MK801-induced hyperlocomotion in adult polyI:C offspring. Our study reveals the blood KP as a potential mechanism by which MIA interferes with postnatal brain maturation and associated behavioural disturbances and emphasises the preventative potential of inflammation targeting drugs.
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PMID:Effect of maternal immune activation on the kynurenine pathway in preadolescent rat offspring and on MK801-induced hyperlocomotion in adulthood: amelioration by COX-2 inhibition. 2487 70

Altered levels of transcription factor specificity protein 4 (SP4) and 1 (SP1) in the cerebellum, prefrontal cortex and/or lymphocytes have been reported in severe psychiatric disorders, including early psychosis, bipolar disorder, and chronic schizophrenia subjects who have undergone long-term antipsychotic treatments. SP4 transgenic mice show altered hippocampal-dependent psychotic-like behaviours and altered development of hippocampal dentate gyrus. Moreover, NMDAR activity regulates SP4 function. The aim of this study was to investigate SP4 and SP1 expression levels in the hippocampus in schizophrenia, and the possible effect of antipsychotics and NMDAR blockade on SP protein levels in rodent hippocampus. We analysed SP4 and SP1 expression levels in the postmortem hippocampus of chronic schizophrenia (n = 14) and control (n = 11) subjects by immunoblot and quantitative RT-PCR. We tested the effect of NMDAR blockade on SP factors in the hippocampus of mouse treated with an acute dose of MK801. We also investigated the effect of subacute treatments with haloperidol and clozapine on SP protein levels in the rat hippocampus. We report that SP4 protein and both SP4 and SP1 mRNA expression levels are significantly increased in the hippocampus in chronic schizophrenia. Likewise, acute treatment with MK801 increased both SP4 and SP1 protein levels in mouse hippocampus. In contrast, subacute treatment with haloperidol and clozapine did not significantly alter SP protein levels in rat hippocampus. These results suggest that SP4 and SP1 upregulation may be part of the mechanisms deregulated downstream of glutamate signalling pathways in schizophrenia and might be contributing to the hippocampal-dependent cognitive deficits of the disorder.
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PMID:Increased SP4 and SP1 transcription factor expression in the postmortem hippocampus of chronic schizophrenia. 2517 39

Combination of dopamine D3 antagonism, serotonin 5-HT1A partial agonism, and antagonism at 5-HT2A leads to a novel approach to potent atypical antipsychotics. Exploitation of the original structure-activity relationships resulted in the identification of safe and effective antipsychotics devoid of extrapyramidal symptoms liability, sedation, and catalepsy. The potential atypical antipsychotic 5bb was selected for further pharmacological investigation. The distribution of c-fos positive cells in the ventral striatum confirmed the atypical antipsychotic profile of 5bb in agreement with behavioral rodent studies. 5bb administered orally demonstrated a biphasic effect on the MK801-induced hyperactivity at dose levels not able to induce sedation, catalepsy, or learning impairment in passive avoidance. In microdialysis studies, 5bb increased the dopamine efflux in the medial prefrontal cortex. Thus, 5bb represents a valuable lead for the development of atypical antipsychotics endowed with a unique pharmacological profile for addressing negative symptoms and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.
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PMID:Targeting dopamine D3 and serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors for developing effective antipsychotics: synthesis, biological characterization, and behavioral studies. 2534 29

An extensive amount of research has focused on the development of new pharmacological agents to treat schizophrenia. Varying from person to person, schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disease with symptoms of positive, negative, and cognitive deficits. PRX-07034, a 5-hydroxytryptamine6 (5-HT6) receptor antagonist has been evaluated for its potential in treating obesity and cognitive deficits. This study evaluated PRX-07034 (0.1, 0.3, and 1.0 mg/kg body mass, by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection), in combination with a low dose of prazosin (0.3 mg/kg, i.p.), for its antipsychotic potential. The research utilized a stereotypy assay, an open field test, an object recognition task, and prepulse inhibition. Dizocilpine, a non-competitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, was also administered in the above-mentioned assays as a psychomimetic. The combination of PRX-07034 and prazosin alleviated stereotypy and hyperlocomotor activity while enhancing memory in an object recognition task, and reversed sensory-gating deficits induced by dizocilpine. Examination of the medial prefrontal cortex revealed that a combination of PRX-07034 and prazosin reduced the dizocilpine-mediated increase of 5-HT. These results suggest that the combination of a 5-HT6 antagonist with low doses of prazosin could have therapeutic potential in the treatment of schizophrenia.
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PMID:Low-dose prazosin in combination with 5-HT6 antagonist PRX-07034 has antipsychotic effects. 2542 15

NMDA receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction is a compelling hypothesis for the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, because in part, NMDAR antagonists cause symptoms in healthy adult subjects that resemble schizophrenia. Therefore, NMDAR antagonists have been used as a method to induce NMDAR hypofunction in animals as a pharmacological model of schizophrenia. Serine racemase-null mutant (SR-/-) mice display constitutive NMDAR hypofunction due to the lack of d-serine. SR-/- mice have deficits in tropomyosin-related kinase receptor (TrkB)/Akt signaling and activity regulated cytoskeletal protein (Arc) expression, which mirror what is observed in schizophrenia. Thus, we analyzed these signaling pathways in MK801 sub-chronically (0.15mg/kg; 5days) treated adult wild-type mice. We found that in contrast to SR-/- mice, the activated states of downstream signaling molecules, but not TrkB, increased in MK801 treated mice. Furthermore, there is an age-dependent change in the behavioral reaction of people to NMDAR antagonists. We therefore administered the same dosing regimen of MK801 to juvenile mice and compared them to juvenile SR-/- mice. Our findings demonstrate that pharmacological NMDAR antagonism has different effects on TrkB/Akt signaling than genetically-induced NMDAR hypofunction. Given the phenotypic disparity between the MK801 model and schizophrenia, our results suggest that SR-/- mice more accurately reflect NMDAR hypofunction in schizophrenia.
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PMID:Subchronic pharmacological and chronic genetic NMDA receptor hypofunction differentially regulate the Akt signaling pathway and Arc expression in juvenile and adult mice. 2559 4


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