How Does Schizophrenia Affect the Expression of Alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in the Brain?
Date of Presentation
5-2-2024 12:00 AM
College
Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
Poster Abstract
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a psychiatric disorder with a pathophysiology that has not yet been fully understood. This mental illness is characterized by disruptions in cognition, social activity, affect, and perception, and affects approximately 0.085% of individuals worldwide. The Alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (α7nAChR) has been connected to auditory function gating deficits. The purpose of this review is to understand the current literature in how the levels of α7nAChR expression and function are affected by SZ, information that could be used to develop therapies to modulate auditory hallucinations in patients with SZ. A literature search was conducted for peer-reviewed journal articles with adult participants and filtered for randomized controlled trials and clinical studies. From this search, several studies were selected. These studies investigated α7nAChR levels in various brain regions (hippocampus, thalamus, frontal cortex, parietal cortex, cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and temporal cortex), sera, and overall gene expression. Analysis reveals inconsistencies in changes in receptor levels, several studies without significant results, and several studies with low numbers of initial participants. Therefore, while conclusions were drawn based on the current literature that α7nAChR expression and function are decreased in patients with SZ compared to control subjects, more research is required to confirm. This need is especially focused on the hippocampus, since previous literature has suggested a link between α7nAChR, the hippocampus, and auditory signal gating deficits in SZ. Further research is also required into the development and testing of α7nAChR agonist medications and their effects on α7nAChR expression and function in the previously listed brain regions.
Keywords
Schizophrenia, α7nAChR, hippocampus, auditory signal gating, α7nAChR agonist medications, alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor, Hallucinations, Auditory Hallucinations, Gene Expression
Disciplines
Medical Neurobiology | Medicine and Health Sciences | Nervous System | Neuroscience and Neurobiology | Psychiatric and Mental Health | Psychiatry
Document Type
Poster
How Does Schizophrenia Affect the Expression of Alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in the Brain?
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a psychiatric disorder with a pathophysiology that has not yet been fully understood. This mental illness is characterized by disruptions in cognition, social activity, affect, and perception, and affects approximately 0.085% of individuals worldwide. The Alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (α7nAChR) has been connected to auditory function gating deficits. The purpose of this review is to understand the current literature in how the levels of α7nAChR expression and function are affected by SZ, information that could be used to develop therapies to modulate auditory hallucinations in patients with SZ. A literature search was conducted for peer-reviewed journal articles with adult participants and filtered for randomized controlled trials and clinical studies. From this search, several studies were selected. These studies investigated α7nAChR levels in various brain regions (hippocampus, thalamus, frontal cortex, parietal cortex, cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and temporal cortex), sera, and overall gene expression. Analysis reveals inconsistencies in changes in receptor levels, several studies without significant results, and several studies with low numbers of initial participants. Therefore, while conclusions were drawn based on the current literature that α7nAChR expression and function are decreased in patients with SZ compared to control subjects, more research is required to confirm. This need is especially focused on the hippocampus, since previous literature has suggested a link between α7nAChR, the hippocampus, and auditory signal gating deficits in SZ. Further research is also required into the development and testing of α7nAChR agonist medications and their effects on α7nAChR expression and function in the previously listed brain regions.