Biochemical dissection of sphingolipids in the pathophysiology of psychiatric illnesses

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K19754
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: ESAKI Kayoko 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 脳科学総合研究センター, 基礎科学特別研究員 (20744874)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 精神疾患 / スフィンゴ脂質 / 脂質生化学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The disease mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders remain largely undetermined. Schizophrenia is a mental illness featuring three major symptomatic domains: positive symptoms, negative symptoms and cognitive deficits. It presents with a prevalence of approximately 1% worldwide, making it a relatively common disease. Increasing clinical evidence indicates that sphingolipids are implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
To figure out the involvement of sphingolipids in schizophrenia, I analyzed sphingolipids of postmortem brains from schizophrenia patients. Our mass spectrometry-based lipidomic approach demonstrated a change of sphingolipids in the corpus callosum of schizophrenia patients. Furthermore, the gene expression level of sphingolipid-metabolic enzymes and sphingolipid receptors altered in schizophrenia. From these findings, it is thought that dysregulation of sphingolipid receptor functions causes in the brain of schizophrenia patients.

Free Research Field

脂質生化学