Publications by authors named "Elia Vila"
Cognitive impairment represents one of the core features of schizophrenia. Prolyl Oligopeptidase (POP) inhibition is an emerging strategy for compensating cognitive deficits in hypoglutamatergic states such as schizophrenia, although little is known about how POP inhibitors exert their pharmacological activity. The mitochondrial and nuclear protein Prohibitin 2 (PHB2) could be dysregulated in schizophrenia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is key to cognitive abilities and negative symptoms in schizophrenia, but little is known about its protein networks in this condition.
- A study analyzed protein changes in the DLPFC of individuals with schizophrenia versus unaffected individuals, identifying 1989 proteins, with 43 significantly altered linked to important biological processes like immune response and intracellular transport.
- Findings highlight a downregulation in pathways related to MHC class II antigen presentation and vesicle-mediated transport, emphasizing RAB7A as a central player in this network that may be targeted for new schizophrenia treatments to enhance cognitive and negative symptoms.
Background: The cortico-cerebellar-thalamic-cortical circuit has been implicated in the emergence of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia (SZ). The kynurenine pathway (KP) has been linked to alterations in glutamatergic and monoaminergic neurotransmission and to SZ symptomatology through the production of the metabolites quinolinic acid (QA) and kynurenic acid (KYNA).
Methods: This work describes alterations in KP in the post-mortem prefrontal cortex (PFC) and cerebellum (CB) of 15 chronic SZ patients and 14 control subjects in PFC and 13 control subjects in CB using immunoblot for protein levels and ELISA for interleukins and QA and KYNA determinations.
Neuroinflammation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in elderly chronic schizophrenia.
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol
March 2019
Cognitive deterioration and symptom progression occur in schizophrenia over the course of the disorder. A dysfunction of the immune system/neuroinflammatory pathways has been linked to schizophrenia (SZ). These altered processes in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) could contribute to the worsening of the deficits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Accumulating evidence links transcription factors SP1 and SP4 to schizophrenia's pathophysiology, with a focus on postmenopausal women.
- Clinical trials show that adding raloxifene to antipsychotics can improve various schizophrenia symptoms.
- A study on 14 women found that while SP4 levels decreased with raloxifene treatment, these changes correlated with symptom improvement, suggesting SP4 might be a key biomarker for future research.
Reduced glutamatergic activity and energy metabolism in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) have been described in schizophrenia. Glycogenolysis in astrocytes is responsible for providing neurons with lactate as a transient energy supply helping to couple glutamatergic neurotransmission and glucose utilization in the brain. This mechanism could be disrupted in schizophrenia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF