Analysis of neruon-glia interaction using patient derived neural cells

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26670545
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science
• Principal Investigator: HORIUCHI Yasue 公益財団法人東京都医学総合研究所, 精神行動医学研究分野, 主席研究員 (00548985)
• Research Collaborator: ARAI Makoto 公益財団法人東京都医学総合研究所, 精神行動医学研究分野, プロジェクトリーダー (80356253)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: Schizophrenia / Neuron / Astrocyte / Carbonyl stress

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Previous study from our laboratory reported that the carbonyl stress in a subpopulation of schizophrenia (SZ) patients, leading to a failure of metabolic systems with plasma pentosidine accumulation and serum pyridoxal depletion. However the molecular mechanisms of the relationship between carbonyl stress and SZ are still unknown. We hypothesize that astrocytes may have a deficit in energy metabolism resulting in neuronal damage in SZ, which might be involved in SZ pathology in carbonyl stress context. As a first step of the study, we examined how pentosidine accumulation affects to neuron and astrocyte using human neuronal cells. Our strategy will provide important clues for understanding of SZ.

Free Research Field

Biological psychiatry, Medical genetics