Abstract #3596

Increased Glutathione Levels in Chronic and Recent Onset Schizophrenic Patients

Susanne Bonekamp¹, Richard Anthony Edward Edden¹, Nicolaas A. J. Puts², Jennifer M. Coughlin³, He Zhu,²⁴, Mark Varvaris⁵, Nicola Cascella⁶, Akira Sawa³, Peter B. Barker¹

¹Radiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; ²Radiology, JHU, Baltimore, MD, United States; ³Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, JHU, Baltimore, MD, United States; ⁴Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; ⁵Neuro Cognitive Neurology, JHU, Baltimore, MD, United States; ⁶Neuropsychiatry, Sheppard Enoch Pratt Hospital, Towson, MD, United States

It has been suggested that oxidative stress plays a role in the pathogenesis of Schizophrenia. This study provides support for the hypothesis that in vivo levels of gluthathione, the major antioxidant in the brain, are altered in the anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of patients with Schizophrenia. Further studies are still needed to determine underlying mechanisms, including the effects of treatment, and to investigate the relationship between GSH levels, other markers of oxidative stress, and severity of both positive and negative symptoms.