AUTHOR=Madeira Caroline , Alheira Flavio V. , Calcia Marilia A. , Silva Thuany C. S. , Tannos Filippe M. , Vargas-Lopes Charles , Fisher Melissa , Goldenstein Nelson , Brasil Marco Antonio , Vinogradov Sophia , Ferreira Sergio T. , Panizzutti Rogerio TITLE=Blood Levels of Glutamate and Glutamine in Recent Onset and Chronic Schizophrenia JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry VOLUME=9 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00713 DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00713 ISSN=1664-0640 ABSTRACT=

Converging evidence indicates that dysfunctions in glutamatergic neurotransmission and in the glutamate-glutamine cycle play a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Here, we investigated glutamate and glutamine levels in the blood of patients with recent onset schizophrenia or chronic schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. Compared with healthy controls, patients with recent onset schizophrenia showed increased glutamine/glutamate ratio, while patients with chronic schizophrenia showed decreased glutamine/glutamate ratio. Results indicate that circulating glutamate and glutamine levels exhibit a dual behavior in schizophrenia, with an increase of glutamine/glutamate ratio at the onset of schizophrenia followed by a decrease with progression of the disorder. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the mechanisms and consequences of changes in circulating glutamate and glutamine in schizophrenia.