Abstract #4135

Glutamatergic metabolite concentrations in the superior temporal gyrus in schizophrenia are increased and glutamate predicts neuroticism

Florian Schubert¹, Ralf Mekle¹, Johanna Balz², Julian Keil², Yadira Roa Romero², Bernd Ittermann¹, Jürgen Gallinat³, and Daniel Senkowski²

¹Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig and Berlin, Germany, ²Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany, ³Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

Findings of deviant glutamate (Glu) and glutamine (Gln) levels in brain of patients support the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia. Thickness and volume of the left superior temporal gyrus (STG) are established endophenotypes of schizophrenia. We quantified glutamatergic metabolites using proton MRS with SPECIAL in the left STG of schizophrenic patients and controls, and investigated the relationships between Glu and personality traits. Glu was significantly higher in patients than in controls, Gln likewise but with a weak trend only. Glu predicted neuroticism in patients. Our results suggest dysfunctional glutamatergic neurotransmission in STG and confirm widespread Glu increases in cortical regions in schizophrenia.

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