Pr. Buckland et al., DOES PHENYLETHYLAMINE HAVE A ROLE IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - LSD AND PCP UP-REGULATE AROMATIC L-AMINO-ACID DECARBOXYLASE MESSENGER-RNA LEVELS, Molecular brain research, 49(1-2), 1997, pp. 266-270
Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) is rate limiting in the pro
duction of 2-phenylethylamine (2PE). AADC activity and 2PE serum conce
ntrations have been found to be increased in schizophrenic patients. B
oth antipsychotic and psychotogenic drugs, including amphetamine, affe
ct the activity and encoding mRNA levels of AADC. Amphetamine is an an
alogue of 2PE and has a similar physiological effect. We have looked a
t the effects of chronic (32 day) treatment of rats with LSD (0.12 mu
g/kg/day) and phencyclidine (PCP; 10 mg/kg/day) on AADC mRNA levels. B
oth drugs up-regulated AADC mRNA levels in striatum, nucleus accumbens
, hippocampus and cerebellum by between 50% and 150%. A splicing varia
nt of AADC, present in human brain, which lacks the 3rd exon does not
appear to be present in rat brain. These results are consistent with t
he hypothesis that over activity of AADC leading to increased producti
on of 2PE is involved in endogenous psychosis such as schizophrenia. (
C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.