[Comparative study of glutamate dehydrogenase in the brain of patients with schizophrenia and mentally healthy people].

Aim: To compare the glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity and amounts of GDHI, GDHII, and GDHIII immunoreactive forms in prefrontal, anterior and posterior cingulate cortex and cerebellar cortex of patients with schizophrenia and control subjects.

Material And Methods: GDH enzymatic activity was measured and levels of GDH immunoreactive forms were determined in extracts of autopsied samples of prefrontal, anterior and posterior cingulate cortex (areas 10, 24, and 23 by Brodmann), and cerebellar cortex of patients with schizophrenia (n=8) and controls (n=9).

Results And Conclusion: GDH enzymatic activity was significantly increased in the prefrontal cortex (area 10) (p<0.004), the posterior cingulate cortex (area 23) (p<0.05) and the cerebellar cortex (p<0.002) and was unchanged in the anterior cingulate cortex (area 24) in patients with schizophrenia compared to controls. The levels of immunoreactive GDH I, GDH II and GDH III were significantly higher in the prefrontal cortex of patients with schizophrenia than in controls (p<0.008, p<0.003, and p<0.0001, respectively). Levels of all three immunoreactive GDH forms were unchanged in the anterior cingulate cortex (area 24), but they were increased in the posterior cingulate cortex (area 23) (p<0.004, p<0.001 and p<0.02, respectively). The levels of immunoreactive GDH II and GDH III, but not GDH I, were significantly increased in the cerebellar cortex of patients with schizophrenia compared with the control group (p<0.02 and p<0.001, respectively). The alteration in the levels of GDH immunoreactive forms in the brain of patients with schizophrenia is one of the causes of impaired brain glutamate metabolism and an important aspect of schizophrenia pathogenesis.