Journal article

Altered levels of dopamine transporter in the frontal pole and dorsal striatum in schizophrenia

H Sekiguchi, G Pavey, B Dean

Npj Schizophrenia | NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP | Published : 2019

Abstract

The dopamine hypothesis proposes that there is a hypodopaminergic state in the prefrontal cortex and a hyperdopaminergic state in the striatum of patients with schizophrenia. Evidence suggests the hyperdopaminergic state in the striatum is due to synaptic dopamine elevation, particularly in the dorsal striatum. However, the molecular mechanisms causing disrupted dopaminergic function in schizophrenia remains unclear. We postulated that the dopamine transporter (DAT), which regulates intra-synaptic dopamine concentrations by transporting dopamine from the synaptic cleft into the pre-synaptic neuron, could be involved in dopaminergic dysfunction in schizophrenia. Therefore, we measured levels ..

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Grants

Awarded by Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute


Funding Acknowledgements

Tissue was sourced from the Victorian Brain Bank, supported by the Mental Health Research Institute, the Alfred, Victorian Forensic Institute of Medicine, the University of Melbourne and funded by Australia's National Health & Medical Research Council, Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, Parkinson's Victoria and Perpetual Philanthropic Services. This project was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia; project grant 566967, Fellowship (BD) APP1002240) and the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. HS was supported by a grant from Senshin Medical Research Foundation in Japan. No external funding agencies supported this study.