Thalamic nuclear abnormalities as a contributory factor in sudden cardiac deaths among patients with schizophrenia
Clinics
;
65(5): 539-546, 2010. ilus
Artículo
en Inglés
| LILACS
| ID: lil-548635
ABSTRACT
Patients with schizophrenia have a two- to three-fold increased risk of premature death as compared to patients without this disease. It has been established that patients with schizophrenia are at a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Moreover, an important issue that has not yet been explored is a possible existence of a "cerebral" focus that could trigger sudden cardiac death in patients with schizophrenia. Along these lines, several structural and functional alterations in the thalamic complex are evident in patients with schizophrenia and have been correlated with the symptoms manifested by these patients. With regard to abnormalities on the cellular and molecular level, previous studies have shown that schizophrenic patients have fewer neuronal projections from the thalamus to the prefrontal cortex as well as a reduced number of neurons, a reduced volume of either the entire thalamus or its subnuclei, and abnormal glutamate signaling. According to the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia, hypofunctional corticostriatal and striatothalamic projections are directly involved in the pathophysiology of the disease. Animal and post-mortem studies have provided a large amount of evidence that links the sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) that occurs in patients with schizophrenia and epilepsy to thalamic changes. Based on the results of these prior studies, it is clear that further research regarding the relationship between the thalamus and sudden cardiac death is of vital importance.
Texto completo:
Disponible
Índice:
LILACS (Américas)
Asunto principal:
Esquizofrenia
/
Núcleos Talámicos
/
Muerte Súbita Cardíaca
Tipo de estudio:
Estudio de etiología
Límite:
Humanos
Idioma:
Inglés
Revista:
Clinics
Asunto de la revista:
Medicina
Año:
2010
Tipo del documento:
Artículo
País de afiliación:
Brasil
/
Alemania
Institución/País de afiliación:
Universidade Federal de São Paulo/BR
/
Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie/BR
/
Universidade de São Paulo/BR
/
University of Goettingen/DE
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