Decreased protein level of nicotinic receptor α7 subunit in the frontal cortex from schizophrenic brain

THE alpha 7 subunit of nicotinic receptor (nAChR) was investigated in post-mortem brain tissue from eight schizophrenics and eight age-matched controls by Western blot. Using anti-alpha 7 antibodies a single band with a mel. wt of 42 kDa was detected in human post-mortem brain, which was smaller in size than the single band (52 kDa) detected in SH-SY5Y and PC12 cells. The smaller band specifically bound to [I-125]alpha-bungarotoxin, confirming the specificity of the detection in the human brain samples. A significant decrease in the level of alpha 7 subunit protein was observed with the same method in the frontal cortex of schizophrenics compared with controls, while no difference was found in the parietal cortex. These findings suggest that a deficit of nAChR alpha 7 subunit in the frontal cortex might be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. NeuroReport 10:1779-1782 (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.