Kynurenine pathway and cognitive impairments in schizophrenia: Pharmacogenetics of galantamine and memantine

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Abstract

The Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) project designed to facilitate the development of new drugs for the treatment of cognitive impairments in people with schizophrenia, identified three drug mechanisms of particular interest: dopaminergic, cholinergic, and glutamatergic. Galantamine is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and a positive allosteric modulator of the α ₇ nicotinic receptors. Memantine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist. There is evidence to suggest that the combination of galantamine and memantine may be effective in the treatment of cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. There is a growing body of evidence that excess kynurenic acid (KYNA) is associated with cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. The α-7 nicotinic and the NMDA receptors may counteract the effects of kynurenic acid (KYNA) resulting in cognitive enhancement. Galantamine and memantine through its α-7 nicotinic and NMDA receptors respectively may counteract the effects of KYNA thereby improving cognitive impairments. The Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Cholinergic Receptor, Nicotinic, Alpha 7 gene (CHRNA7), Glutamate (NMDA) Receptor, Metabotropic 1 (GRM1) gene, Dystrobrevin Binding Protein 1 (DTNBP1) and kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) gene may predict treatment response to galantamine and memantine combination for cognitive impairments in schizophrenia in the kynurenine pathway.

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Most cited references 65

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The brain metabolite kynurenic acid inhibits alpha7 nicotinic receptor activity and increases non-alpha7 nicotinic receptor expression: physiopathological implications.

Marcelo Pereira, C Hilmas, Robert Schwarcz … (2001)

The tryptophan metabolite kynurenic acid (KYNA) has long been recognized as an NMDA receptor antagonist. Here, interactions between KYNA and the nicotinic system in the brain were investigated using the patch-clamp technique and HPLC. In the electrophysiological studies, agonists were delivered via a U-shaped tube, and KYNA was applied in admixture with agonists and via the background perfusion. Exposure (>/=4 min) of cultured hippocampal neurons to KYNA (>/=100 nm) inhibited activation of somatodendritic alpha7 nAChRs; the IC(50) for KYNA was approximately 7 microm. The inhibition of alpha7 nAChRs was noncompetitive with respect to the agonist and voltage independent. The slow onset of this effect could not be accounted for by an intracellular action because KYNA (1 mm) in the pipette solution had no effect on alpha7 nAChR activity. KYNA also blocked the activity of preterminal/presynaptic alpha7 nAChRs in hippocampal neurons in cultures and in slices. NMDA receptors were less sensitive than alpha7 nAChRs to KYNA. The IC(50) values for KYNA-induced blockade of NMDA receptors in the absence and presence of glycine (10 microm) were approximately 15 and 235 microm, respectively. Prolonged (3 d) exposure of cultured hippocampal neurons to KYNA increased their nicotinic sensitivity, apparently by enhancing alpha4beta2 nAChR expression. Furthermore, as determined by HPLC with fluorescence detection, repeated systemic treatment of rats with nicotine caused a transient reduction followed by an increase in brain KYNA levels. These results demonstrate that nAChRs are targets for KYNA and suggest a functionally significant cross talk between the nicotinic cholinergic system and the kynurenine pathway in the brain.

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Neuropharmacology of quinolinic and kynurenic acids.

T W Stone (1993)

In a little more than 10 years, the kynurenine metabolites of tryptophan have emerged from their former position as biochemical curiosities, to occupy a prominent position in research on the causes and treatment of several major CNS disorders. The pathway includes two compounds, quinolinic acid and kynurenic acid, which are remarkably specific in their pharmacological profiles: one is a selective agonist at receptors sensitive to NMDA, whereas the other is a selective antagonist at low concentrations at the strychnine-resistant glycine modulatory site associated with the NMDA receptor. It has been argued that these agents cannot be of physiological or pathological relevance because their normal extracellular concentrations, in the nanomolar range, are at least 3 orders of magnitude lower than those required to act at NMDA receptors. This is a facile argument, however, that ignores at least two possibilities. One is that both quinolinate and kynurenate may be present in very high concentrations locally at some sites in the brain that cannot be reflected in mean extracellular levels. Similar considerations apply to many neuroactive agents in the CNS. The fact that both compounds appear to be synthesised in, and thus emerge from, glial cells that are well recognised as enjoying a close physical and chemical relationship with some neurones in which the intercellular space may be severely restricted may support such a view. Certainly the realisation that NMDA receptors may not be fully saturated functionally with glycine would be consistent with the possibility that even quite low concentrations of kynurenate could maintain a partial antagonism at the glycine receptor. A second possibility is that there may be a subpopulation of NMDA receptors (or, indeed, for a quite different amino acid) that possesses a glycine modulatory site with a much lower sensitivity to glycine or higher sensitivity to kynurenate, making it more susceptible to fluctuations of endogenous kynurenine levels. Whatever the specific nature of their physiological roles, the presence of an endogenous selective agonist and antagonist acting at NMDA receptors must continue to present exciting possibilities for understanding the pathological basis of several CNS disorders as well as developing new therapeutic approaches. An imbalance in the production or removal of either of these substances would be expected to have profound implications for brain function, especially if that imbalance were present chronically.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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Kynurenic acid levels are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with schizophrenia.

Sophie Erhardt, Kaj Blennow, Conny Nordin … (2001)

Kynurenic acid is an endogenous glutamate antagonist with a preferential action at the glycine-site of the N-methyl D-aspartate-receptor. Mounting evidence indicate that the compound is significantly involved in basal neurophysiological processes in the brain. In the present investigation, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) level of kynurenic acid was analyzed in 28 male schizophrenic patients and 17 male healthy controls by means of high pressure liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. Schizophrenic patients showed elevated CSF levels of kynurenic acid (1.67+/-0.27 nM) compared to the control group (0.97+/-0.07 nM). Furthermore, CSF levels of kynurenic acid in schizophrenic patients were also found to correlate with age. The present finding is indicative of a contribution of kynurenic acid in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Maju Mathew Koola

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-journal-id): 101632223

Journal ID (pubmed-jr-id): 42605

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Schizophr Res Cogn

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Schizophr Res Cogn

Title: Schizophrenia research. Cognition

ISSN (Electronic): 2215-0013

Publication date Nihms-submitted: 1 April 2016

Publication date (Print): June 2016

Publication date PMC-release: 01 June 2017

Volume: 4

Pages: 4-9

Affiliations

Sheppard Pratt Health System, Baltimore, MD; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA

Author notes

[* ]Clinical Research Program, Sheppard Pratt Health System, 6501 N Charles St., Baltimore, MD, USA, 21204. Tel.: +1 410 938 5429; fax: +1 410 938 3111

Article

Manuscript ID: NIHMS768311

DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2016.02.001

PMC ID: 4824953

PubMed ID: 27069875

SO-VID: 08fde1fb-7ce3-4dcb-b6a5-75fd3de9affd

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This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Kynurenine pathway and cognitive impairments in schizophrenia: Pharmacogenetics of galantamine and memantine

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Karger: Neurology and Neuroscience

Most cited references 65

The brain metabolite kynurenic acid inhibits alpha7 nicotinic receptor activity and increases non-alpha7 nicotinic receptor expression: physiopathological implications.

Neuropharmacology of quinolinic and kynurenic acids.

Kynurenic acid levels are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with schizophrenia.

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