The role of melatonin in the neurodevelopmental etiology of schizophrenia: A study in human olfactory neuronal precursors.

Dim light exposure of the mother during pregnancy has been proposed as one of the environmental factors that affect the fetal brain development in schizophrenia. Melatonin circulating levels are regulated by the environmental light/dark cycle. This hormone stimulates neuronal differentiation in the adult brain. However, little is known about its role in the fetal human brain development. Olfactory neuronal precursors (ONPs) are useful for studying the physiopathology of neuropsychiatric diseases because they mimic all the stages of neurodevelopment in culture. Here, we first characterized whether melatonin stimulates neuronal differentiation in cloned ONPs obtained from a healthy control subject (HCS). Then, melatonin effects were evaluated in primary cultures of ONPs derived from a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia (SZ) and an age- and gender-matched HCS. Axonal formation was evidenced morphologically by tau immunostaining and by GSK3ß phosphorylated state. Potassium-evoked secretion was assessed as a functional feature of differentiated neurons. As well, we report the expression of MT1/2 receptors in human ONPs for the first time. Melatonin stimulated axonal formation and ramification in cloned ONPs through a receptor-mediated mechanism and enhanced the amount and velocity of axonal and somatic secretion. SZ ONPs displayed reduced axogenesis associated with lower levels of pGSK3ß and less expression of melatonergic receptors regarding the HCS ONPs. Melatonin counteracted this reduction in SZ cells. Altogether, our results show that melatonin signaling is crucial for functional differentiation of human ONPs, strongly suggesting that a deficit of this indoleamine may lead to an impaired neurodevelopment which has been associated with the etiology of schizophrenia.

Blockade of corticosteroid receptors induces anxiolytic-like effects in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, and synergizes with diazepam.

Anxiety disorder is a psychiatric condition reported in diabetic patients. It is known that hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activity is increased in these patients and corticosteroids levels are augmented, whereas the anxiolytic actions of diazepam are reduced. The aim of this study was to evaluate the participation of glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptors in anxiety in diabetic mice and whether the blockade of these receptors synergizes with diazepam in the diabetic condition, leading to a reduction of anxiety. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin (STZ) and anxiety-like levels were evaluated on days 5, 15, and 30 after STZ. Independent groups of control and diabetic mice were treated with diazepam (0.25-2.0 mg/kg), RU-486 (12.5-100 mg/kg), spironolactone (12.5-100 mg/kg), or the combination of suboptimal doses of diazepam and MR or GR antagonists. Results showed that STZ increased anxiety-like behavior 15 days after its administration. The response to diazepam was reduced in diabetic mice, whereas GR and MR blockade induced anxiolytic-like effects in these animals. Coadministration of MR or GR antagonists synergized with diazepam to induce anxiolytic-like effects. The results suggest the participation of corticosteroid receptors in the increased anxiety-like response in diabetic mice and that the blockade of these receptors facilitates the effects of diazepam.