Nitric oxide synthase-containing neurons in the human hypothalamus: reduced number of immunoreactive cells in the paraventricular nucleus of depressive patients and schizophrenics
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Abstract
The neuroanatomical distribution of nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive neurons was
investigated in post mortem hypothalami of 10 patients suffering from schizophrenia,
eight patients with depression and 13 matched control cases. Neuronal nitric oxide
synthase containing nerve cells were detected in several hypothalamic nuclei including
the medial preoptic region, the ventromedial, infundibular and suprachiasmatic nuclei
and the lateral hypothalamus. The vast majority of hypothalamic nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive
neurons was found to be located in the paraventricular nucleus. Both magno and parvocellular
paraventricular neurons contained the enzyme. A small subset of immunoreactive parvocellular
paraventricular neurons co-expresses corticotropin-releasing hormone. The supraoptic
nucleus did not contain nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive neurons. Cell counts
of paraventricular nitric oxide synthase-positive neurons in controls, schizophrenics
and depressed patients revealed a statistically significant reduction of cell density
in the right paraventricular nucleus of depressed patients and schizophrenics as compared
to controls. The total amount of nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive paraventricular
neurons was smaller in depressive and schizophrenic patients than in normal cases.
The putative pathophysiologic significance of the reduced expression of paraventricular
nitric oxide synthase in depressive patients might be related to the supposed regulatory
function of nitric oxide in the release of corticotropin-releasing hormone and arginine-vasopressin
and/or oxytocin, which have been reported to be over-expressed in the so-called endogenous
psychoses, especially in depression.