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Abstract #1831

Hippocampus Glutamate Concentrations in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

Nicolas R. Bolo1,2, Olivia J. Lutz1, Gautami Shashidhar1, Li Yao1, Yungxiang Tang1, Brett A. Clementz3, Godfrey Pearlson4, Elliot Gershon5, John A. Sweeney6, Carol A. Tamminga6, and Matcheri S. Keshavan1,2

1Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States, 2Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States, 3Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States, 4Psychiatry, Yale University, Hartford, CT, United States, 5Psychiatry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States, 6Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States

Deficient hippocampus glutamatergic function could underlie cognitive deficits and positive-negative symptoms in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BP). Using 1H MRS, we found that the glutamate concentration of left anterior hippocampus was significantly lower in SZ (6.3 ± 1.8 mM) vs. healthy controls (HC, 7.8 ± 1.2 mM, p=0.021) and BP (8.5 ± 1.3 mM, p=0.001) and trended higher in BP vs. HC (p=0.179). Decreased glutamate is consistent with deficient excitatory neurotransmission in the hippocampus of patients with SZ, which could alter synaptic plasticity underlying memory and cognition. Our findings are consistent with the glutamate hypothesis of SZ.

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Abstract