Putative presynaptic dopamine dysregulation in schizophrenia is supported by molecular evidence from post-mortem human midbrain.

ABSTRACT: The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia posits that increased subcortical dopamine underpins psychosis. In vivo imaging studies indicate an increased presynaptic dopamine synthesis capacity in striatal terminals and cell bodies in the midbrain in schizophrenia; however, measures of the dopamine-synthesising enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), have not identified consistent changes. We hypothesise that dopamine dysregulation in schizophrenia could result from changes in expression of dopamine synthesis enzymes, receptors, transporters or catabolic enzymes. Gene expression of 12 dopamine-related molecules was examined in post-mortem midbrain (28 antipsychotic-treated schizophrenia cases/29 controls) using quantitative PCR. TH and the synaptic dopamine transporter (DAT) proteins were examined

SUBMITTER: Purves-Tyson TD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5545725 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature