Lithium decreases VEGF mRNA expression in leukocytes of healthy subjects and patients with bipolar disorder.

Objectives: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of mood disorders and the target of antidepressants. The aim of this study was to elucidate molecular effects of lithium on VEGF expression by using leukocytes of healthy subjects and patients with bipolar disorder.

Methods: Eight healthy male subjects participated in the first study.

Predictors of subjective and objective quality of life in outpatients with schizophrenia.

Aim: In recent years, greater attention has been given to quality of life (QOL) in schizophrenia and several studies reported that negative and depressive symptoms and cognitive dysfunction are related to patient QOL. But because a variety of QOL measures have been used in the previous studies, there seems to be no unanimous predictors for subjective and objective QOL. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the relationship between clinical variables and subjective and objective QOL in outpatients with schizophrenia, using schizophrenia disease-specific QOL measures.

Subjective and objective measures of quality of life have different predictors for people with schizophrenia.

This study investigated the relationship between subjective and objective quality of life and assessed predictors in people with schizophrenia. The study population consisted of 99 stabilized outpatients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV) who had been regularly receiving outpatient treatment at the Department of Psychiatry, The Tokushima University Hospital. Subjective and objective quality of life were estimated using the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale and the Quality of Life Scale, respectively.

Gene expression and association analysis of LIM (PDLIM5) in major depression.

LIM (PDLIM5) is a small protein that interacts with protein kinase C-epsilon and the N-type calcium channel alpha-1B subunit and modulates neuronal calcium signaling. Recently, the LIM mRNA expression in postmortem brains and immortalized lymphoblastoid cells from mood disorder patients was reported to be changed and seems to be involved in its pathophysiology. We hypothesized that the expression of the LIM mRNA in the native peripheral leukocytes may be a good candidate for the biological marker for mood disorders.

Serotonin transporter mRNA expression in peripheral leukocytes of patients with major depression before and after treatment with paroxetine.

Serotonin transporter (5HTT) is thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of major depression and the target of antidepressants. We hypothesized that 5HTT mRNA levels in peripheral leukocytes may be associated with depressive states and the therapeutic response to antidepressant treatments. Fifteen patients with major depression and age-, sex-matched control subjects were studied.