Met carriers of BDNF Val66Met genotype show increased N-acetylaspartate concentration in the anterior cingulate cortex.

Decreased levels of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) have been linked to neuronal loss and psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. We previously found that BDNF serum concentration was predicted by the concentration of NAA in the ACC, indicating that neuronal integrity and vitality of a cortical region like the ACC, as reflected by a high concentration of NAA, might be related to high concentrations of BDNF in serum. Moreover, our recent finding that Val66Met genotype appears to predict the BDNF serum level in healthy human volunteers suggests the Met allele to be connected to higher concentrations of BDNF in serum.

Altered Excitatory-Inhibitory Balance in the NMDA-Hypofunction Model of Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a common psychiatric disorder of high incidence, affecting approximately 1% of the world population. The essential neurotransmitter pathology of schizophrenia remains poorly defined, despite huge advances over the past half-century in identifying neurochemical and pathological abnormalities in the disease. The dopamine/serotonin hypothesis has originally provided much of the momentum for neurochemical research in schizophrenia.

Increased inhibitory input to CA1 pyramidal cells alters hippocampal gamma frequency oscillations in the MK-801 model of acute psychosis.

The phencyclidine compound MK-801 can induce psychosis with symptoms which closely resemble those observed in an acute schizophrenic episode. Here we used an in vitro model of psychosis after systemic administration of MK-801. We found that kainate-induced gamma frequency field oscillations in animals previously exposed to MK-801 have significantly higher power than in control animals.

Effects of phencyclidines on signal transfer from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampus in rats.

The information transfer from the superficial layers of the entorhinal cortex (EC) to the hippocampus is regulated in a frequency dependent manner. Phencyclidine and related compounds such as MK-801 produce psychotic symptoms that closely resemble schizophrenia. We studied the effects of systemic administration of MK-801 on the signal transfer from the EC layer III to the hippocampal area CA1.