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Summary of Prefrontal Molecular Abnormalities in the Stanley Foundation Neuropathology Consortium

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Book cover The Postmortem Brain in Psychiatric Research

Part of the book series: Neurobiological Foundation of Aberrant Behaviors ((NFAB,volume 4))

Abstract

Postmortem specimens from the Stanley Foundation Neuropathology Consortium, which contains matched samples from patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, non-psychotic depression, and normal controls (n=15 per group), have been distributed to many research groups around the world. This chapter provides a summary of abnormal markers found in prefrontal cortical areas from this collection between 1997 and 2000. From 69 separate data sets, a total of 17 abnormal markers were identified that pertained to a variety of neural systems and processes including neuronal plasticity, neurotransmission, signal transduction, inhibitory interneuron function, and glial cells. Schizophrenia was associated with the largest number of abnormalities, many of which were also present in bipolar disorder. Major depression was associated with relatively few abnormalities. Most abnormal findings represented a decrease in protein or mRNA levels that could not be fully explained by exposure to psychotropic or illicit drugs or by other confounding variables. It is argued that the abnormal findings are not due to stochastic processes but represent viable markers for independent replication and further study as candidate genes or targets for new treatments.

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Authors
  1. Michael B. Knable
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  2. Beata M. Barci
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  3. Maree J. Webster
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  4. E. Fuller Torrey
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Stanley Foundation International Research Center and Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel

    Galila Agam  & R. H. Belmaker  & 

  2. Departments of Neuropathology and Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, DeCrespigny Park, SE5 8AF, London, UK

    Ian Paul Everall

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© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Knable, M.B., Barci, B.M., Webster, M.J., Torrey, E.F. (2002). Summary of Prefrontal Molecular Abnormalities in the Stanley Foundation Neuropathology Consortium. In: Agam, G., Everall, I.P., Belmaker, R.H. (eds) The Postmortem Brain in Psychiatric Research. Neurobiological Foundation of Aberrant Behaviors, vol 4. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3631-1_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3631-1_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-4921-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-3631-1

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