Glial Glutamate Dysfunction in Schizophrenia: 13C Acetate MRS

K. C. Harris Magnetic Resonance Unit, Huntington Medical Research Institute, Pasadena, California, United States Introduction The role of glutamate in schizophrenia, has recently been confirmed in patients. With our preliminary data, we provide direct support for a paradigm shift which could alter the drug discovery process for schizophrenia, moving away from dopaminergic inhibitors to glutamatergic stimulants. However, the glutamate/glutamine cycle is a complex pathway occurring between neurons and glia and involving at least eight distinct metabolic processes. Further dissection of the abnormality in schizophrenia is necessary to guide effective therapy. We describe preliminary results of studies distinguishing between neuronal and glial elements of the glutamate glutamine cycle in schizophrenic subjects.