Thirty-eight per cent of the patients with C9ORF72 mutations presented with psychosis, with a further 28% exhibiting paranoid, deluded or irrational thinking, whereas <4% of non-mutation bearers presented similarly.
Recent genetic studies found the A allele of the variant rs1006737 in the alpha 1C subunit of the L-type voltage-gated calcium channel (CACNA1C) gene to be over-represented in patients with psychosis, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.
Second, a balanced polymorphism in the C terminus opposite-paired domain, a key motif in the MED12-mediated transcriptional repression of Wnt signaling, has been associated with increased risk for psychosis.
In an effort to determine whether other allelic polymorphisms in this gene exist and may potentially contribute to increased susceptibility to neuropsychiatric illness, we have performed single stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of all 45 exons and each of the two potential promoter regions of HOPA using DNA from a panel of patients with psychosis.
In an effort to determine whether other allelic polymorphisms in this gene exist and may potentially contribute to increased susceptibility to neuropsychiatric illness, we have performed single stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of all 45 exons and each of the two potential promoter regions of HOPA using DNA from a panel of patients with psychosis.
In this study, we examined whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor TrkB signaling plays a role in the risk for psychosis after exposure of cannabinoid (CB) receptor agonist during adolescence.
Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant positive association of plasma BDNF levels with planning ability across all groups.<b>Conclusions:</b> The lower peripheral BDNF levels in ARMS compared to FEP and CS might point towards an important drop of this neurotrophin prior to the onset of frank psychosis.
Its pharmacodynamic mechanisms of action are primarily attributed to the interaction with the serotonergic 5-HT2A-C receptors, and therefore clinical effects are similar to those elicited by other psychoactive substances, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin, which include euphoria, hallucinations, depersonalization and psychoses.
However, baseline levels of serum BDNF did not predict the development of psychosis (OR=0.64, CI = 0.40 - 1.02) or remission (OR=0.83, CI = 0.60 - 1.15) from UHR status.
High serum levels of BDNF and glutamate were associated with response to clozapine, while glutamate levels correlated with the psychosis severity in clozapine responders only.
In summary, these data suggest that a shift towards increased availability (and G-protein coupling) of cortical 5-HT2A vs. mGlu2 receptors may represent a common neurobiological mechanism underlying the emergence of psychosis and cognitive deficits observed in subjects with meth use disorder and schizophrenia.
We aimed to investigate whether there is a gene-environment interaction in the relationship between stress and BDNFVal66Met polymorphism in relation to dietary patterns in a sample of subjects with early psychosis.
These findings provide evidence of the important role of early cannabis use and the Val66MetBDNF polymorphism on age at psychosis onset and they point out to sex-specific differences in cannabis use patterns.