Date of Award:

8-2024

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Psychology

Committee Chair(s)

Sara Freeman (Committee Chair), Christopher Warren (Committee Co-Chair)

Committee

Sara Freeman

Committee

Christopher Warren

Committee

Kerry Jordan

Committee

David Bolton

Committee

JoAnn Tschanz

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic psychiatric condition, in which affected individuals experience symptoms including hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that are not there), delusions (false beliefs about others/situations), and cognitive deficits (difficulties with attention and working memory). In addition, individuals with schizophrenia often experience difficulties understanding the emotions and intentions of other people and tend to isolate themselves from other people. These social symptoms often persist—or can be worsened—with current antipsychotic medications. Due to their known role in facilitating a wide range of social behavior in animals and humans (e.g., social attachment, trust, social reward), the oxytocin and vasopressin hormone systems of the brain have become a target of interest for treating the social symptoms in schizophrenia. Although clinical trials have been conducted to determine the efficacy of drugs targeting the two hormonal systems, little progress has been made toward our understanding of whether these systems are altered in the brain in schizophrenia. The current thesis explores the role of the oxytocin receptor and vasopressin receptor systems in postmortem brain tissue of individuals who had schizophrenia, aiming to shed light on how altered functioning may contribute to the social symptoms observed in schizophrenia. The objectives of this thesis are first to examine the levels of oxytocin and vasopressin (1a) receptors in the brain in schizophrenia in regions involved in social perception (superior temporal sulcus), in oxytocin and vasopressin synthesis (hypothalamus), and in a brain region known to express very high levels of oxytocin receptor in humans (substantia nigra). Second, to examine whether oxytocin receptor functioning is altered at the genetic level, by measuring oxytocin receptor mRNA expression. The studies in this thesis detail alterations in the oxytocin receptor in the hypothalamus, and sex and age-dependent alterations in the vasopressin 1a receptor system in the superior temporal sulcus in schizophrenia, while oxytocin receptor functioning (at the protein and genetic levels) seems to be preserved in the substantia nigra in schizophrenia. This thesis contributes to our understanding of altered hormonal systems in the brain in schizophrenia, providing insights into potential targets for treating social impairments in schizophrenia.

Checksum

bfc8859cbc8d52775812735ff2769c2d

Download

Available for download on Wednesday, August 01, 2029

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .