Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27529679›Full record

ArticleTranslational psychiatry2016

Altered brain arginine metabolism in schizophrenia.

P Liu, Y Jing, N D Collie, B Dean, D K Bilkey, H Zhang

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Translational psychiatry, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
30citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
10.3field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

30 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 68 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. UntargetedTranslational psychiatry · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

P LiuDepartment of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Y JingDepartment of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
N D CollieDepartment of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
B DeanThe Molecular Psychiatry Laboratory, The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
D K BilkeyBrain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
H ZhangBrain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
University of Otago · NZBrain Research New Zealand · NZFlorey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Previous research implicates altered metabolism of l-arginine, a versatile amino acid with a number of bioactive metabolites, in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The present study, for we believe the first time, systematically compared the metabolic profile of l-arginine in the frontal cortex (Brodmann's area 8) obtained post-mortem from schizophrenic individuals and age- and gender-matched non-psychiatric controls (n=20 per group). The enzyme assays revealed no change in total nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity, but significantly increased arginase activity in the schizophrenia group. Western blot showed reduced endothelial NOS protein expression and increased arginase II protein level in the disease group. High-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric assays confirmed significantly reduced levels of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), but increased agmatine concentration and glutamate/GABA ratio in the schizophrenia cases. Regression analysis indicated positive correlations between arginase activity and the age of disease onset and between l-ornithine level and the duration of illness. Moreover, cluster analyses revealed that l-arginine and its main metabolites l-citrulline, l-ornithine and agmatine formed distinct groups, which were altered in the schizophrenia group. The present study provides further evidence of altered brain arginine metabolism in schizophrenia, which enhances our understanding of the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and may lead to the future development of novel preventions and/or therapeutics for the disease.

Indexed as

AgmatineArginaseArginineAutopsyBlotting, WesternBrainCase-Control StudiesChromatography, High Pressure LiquidChromatography, LiquidCitrullineFemaleFrontal Lobegamma-Aminobutyric AcidGlutamic AcidHumansMaleAgmatineARG2 protein, humanArginaseArginineCitrullinegamma-Aminobutyric AcidGlutamic AcidNitric Oxide Synthase Type IIINOS3 protein, humanOrnithine

Identifiers

PMID27529679
PMCPMC5022089
OpenAlexW2512569592

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.