Altered levels of the synaptosomal associated protein SNAP-25 in hippocampus of subjects with mood disorders and schizophrenia

SNAP-25 levels were measured in ventral hippocampus in subjects with unipol ar depression (n=12), bipolar disorder (n=13), schizophrenia (n=15) and con trols (n=15) using quantitative immunocytochemistry. SNAP-25 levels were re duced significantly in stratum oriens of bipolar patients compared with con trols (p<0.05); they were also reduced significantly in st. oriens (p<0.01 vs schizophrenia), in alveous (p<0.01 vs schizophrenia) and in presubiculum (p<0.05 vs depressed). SNAP-25 levels were also reduced in several layers of schizophrenics, only significantly so in st. granulosum (p<0.05 vs contr ols). In contrast, depressed SNAP-25 levels increased in st. moleculare (p< 0.01 vs schizophrenics) and presubiculum (p<0.05 vs controls and bipolars; p<0.01 vs schizophrenics). SNAP-25 values were not affected by age, sex, ra ce, post-mortem interval, brain pH, side of brain, age of onset of disease, family history of psychiatric disease, drug or alcohol use, antipsychotic drug treatment, or mode of death. The reported changes in SNAP-25 levels ap pear to be disease specific, separating synaptic pathology in unipolar depr ession from that observed in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. NeuroRepo rt 12:3257-3262 (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.