Publication at First Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové |
2010
Abstract
Glycine acts as an endogenous selective co-agonist at the glycine modulatory site of the NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) receptor. Fifty outpatients with the diagnosis of schizophrenia as defined by ICD-10 and fifty age- and gender-matched healthy controls were recruited into the study.
We found mean glycine serum levels to be significantly lower in patients than in controls. This difference was only caused by findings in the male study population.
Glycine serum levels were negatively associated with intensity of negative symptoms assessed by the PANSS negative subscale and the SANS total scores in the patients. These data suggest a possible implication of NMDA receptor dysfunction in the pathogenesis of negative symptoms in schizophrenia.