“Improving our understanding of how schizophrenia works at a molecular level is key to developing new treatments and therapies.” said Dr. Hsiao-Huei ChenThe enzyme PTP1B may be a new target for treating schizophrenia, according to a study published in Neuropsychopharmacology.
The study was led by Dr. Zhaohong Qin in a collaboration between Dr. Hsiao-Huei Chen and her team at The Ottawa Hospital and uOttawa, and Dr. Alexandre Stewart at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
The research team found that blocking the activity of PTP1B reduced schizophrenia-like behaviours in mice lacking a gene called LMO4 in certain cells of the brain. Without treatment, these mice had impaired short-term memory and were less able to filter out unnecessary stimuli from their environment, a key feature used to diagnose schizophrenia.
If these findings are confirmed in additional animal models of schizophrenia (work ongoing in Dr. Chen’s lab), it may open the door to clinical trials using drugs that target PTP1B to reduce schizophrenia symptoms. A drug that targets this protein has already been tested in clinical trials for obesity and could be repurposed to treat schizophrenia.
The team previously identified PTP1B as a target to treat Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety and autism spectrum disorder as well.
“Improving our understanding of how schizophrenia works at a molecular level is key to developing new treatments and therapies.” said Dr. Hsiao-Huei Chen, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa.
Source: Neuropsychopharmacology
Authors: Zhaohong Qin, Li Zhang, Shelly A Cruz, Alexandre F R Stewart, Hsiao-Huei Chen
Funding: Ontario Mental Health Foundation, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Core Facilities: University of Ottawa Animal Behavior Core
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