Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Pathology in Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia.
Summary of "Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Pathology in Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia."
Bipolar disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are severe psychiatric illnesses with a combined prevalence of 4%. A disturbance of energy metabolism is frequently observed in these disorders. Several pieces of evidence point to an underlying dysfunction of mitochondria: i) decreased mitochondrial respiration; (ii) changes in mitochondrial morphology; iii) increases in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms and in levels of mtDNA mutations; iv) downregulation of nuclear mRNA molecules and proteins involved in mitochondrial respiration; v) decreased high-energy phosphates and decreased pH in the brain; and vi) psychotic and affective symptoms, and cognitive decline in mitochondrial disorders. Furthermore, transgenic mice with mutated mitochondrial DNA polymerase show mood disorder-like phenotypes. In this review, we will discuss the genetic and physiological components of mitochondria and the evidence for mitochondrial abnormalities in BPD and SZ. We will furthermore describe the role of mitochondria during brain development and the effect of current drugs for mental illness on mitochondrial function. Understanding the role of mitochondria, both developmentally as well as in the ailing brain, is of critical importance to elucidate pathophysiological mechanisms in psychiatric disorders.
Affiliation
Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: International journal of developmental neuroscience : the official journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuros
ISSN: 1873-474X
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20833242
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2010.08.007
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Mitochondrial Diseases
Diseases caused by abnormal function of the MITOCHONDRIA. They may be caused by mutations, acquired or inherited, in mitochondrial DNA or in nuclear genes that code for mitochondrial components. They may also be the result of acquired mitochondria dysfunction due to adverse effects of drugs, infections, or other environmental causes.
Bipolar Disorder
A major affective disorder marked by severe mood swings (manic or major depressive episodes) and a tendency to remission and recurrence.
Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathies
A heterogenous group of disorders characterized by alterations of mitochondrial metabolism that result in muscle and nervous system dysfunction. These are often multisystemic and vary considerably in age at onset (usually in the first or second decade of life), distribution of affected muscles, severity, and course. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp984-5)
Melas Syndrome
A mitochondrial disorder characterized by focal or generalized seizures, episodes of transient or persistent neurologic dysfunction resembling strokes, and ragged-red fibers on muscle biopsy. Affected individuals tend to be normal at birth through early childhood, then experience growth failure, episodic vomiting, and recurrent cerebral insults resulting in visual loss and hemiparesis. The cortical lesions tend to occur in the parietal and occipital lobes and are not associated with vascular occlusion. VASCULAR HEADACHE is frequently associated and the disorder tends to be familial. (From Joynt, Clinical Neurology, 1992, Ch56, p117)
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
A personality disorder in which there are oddities of thought (magical thinking, paranoid ideation, suspiciousness), perception (illusions, depersonalization), speech (digressive, vague, overelaborate), and behavior (inappropriate affect in social interactions, frequently social isolation) that are not severe enough to characterize schizophrenia.
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