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Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Protein Expression in the Prefrontal Cortex and Striatum in Schizophrenia We investigated the expression of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum in schizophrenia. mGluRs modulate the release and reuptake of synaptic glutamate, and mediate some molecular correlates of neuroplasticity, including long-term potentiation. The mGluRs are expressed widely in the PFC and striatum, regions often implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Thus, we hypothesized that abnormal expression of mGluRs might contribute to glutamatergic dysfunction observed in the PFC and striatum in schizophrenia. Accordingly, we measured the expression of mGluR1a, mGluR2/3, mGluR4a and mGluR5 in BAs 9 (superior frontal gyrus), 11 (orbital gyrus, gyrus rectus), 32/24 (cingulate gyrus), and 46 (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) in PFC, and nucleus accumbens, putamen, caudate in striatum by Western blot analysis. We found an increase in the expression of both mGluR1a and mGluR2/3 immunoreactivity in the PFC, but no changes in the expression of mGluR4a or mGluR5 were detected in this region. In the striatum we did not find changes in the expression of any of the mGluRs studied. The alterations in the expression of mGluR1a and mGluR2/3 add to a growing body of evidence supporting glutamatergic dysfunction in the PFC in schizophrenia.
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