Thalamic nuclear abnormalities as a contributory factor in sudden cardiac deaths among patients with schizophrenia
Clinics
;
65(5): 539-546, 2010. ilus
Artigo
em Inglês
| 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:
DisponíveL
Índice:
LILACS (Américas)
Assunto principal:
Esquizofrenia
/
Núcleos Talâmicos
/
Morte Súbita Cardíaca
Tipo de estudo:
Estudo de etiologia
Limite:
Humanos
Idioma:
Inglês
Revista:
Clinics
Assunto da revista:
Medicina
Ano de publicação:
2010
Tipo de documento:
Artigo
País de afiliação:
Brasil
/
Alemanha
Instituição/País de afiliação:
Universidade Federal de São Paulo/BR
/
Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie/BR
/
Universidade de São Paulo/BR
/
University of Goettingen/DE
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