Abstracts

Rationale: Phospholipases A2 (PLA2) are ubiquitous enzymes involved in membrane fatty acid metabolism and intracellular signalling. Recent studies have shown that PLA2 subtypes are implicated in the development and course of different neurological and psychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. In patients with schizophrenia, increased PLA2 activity, in the brain and peripheral tissues, is associated with acute psychotic episodes. Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) may have some schizophrenia like symptoms. To date, there are no studies addressing this aspect in this group. The objective of the present study was to determine the PLA2 group activity in post-operatory hippocampal tissues of patients with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) with and without psychosis. Methods: Eighteen patients (mean age of 38.4 ± 12.2 years; 55.5 % female) with refractory TLE caused by MTS (5 with psychosis and 13 without psychosis), who underwent surgery for seizure control, were included in this study. PLA2 group activity was determined by radioenzymatic assay. Results: In the group of patients with MTS, patients with psychosis had a significantly increased iPLA2 activity in hippocampal tissue as compared to those patients without psychosis (p = 0,014). There was no statistical difference in Total PLA2, cPLA2 and sPLA2 activity between these two groups. Conclusions: Increased iPLA2 activity has been documented in cerebral tissues of patients with schizophrenia. The present study corroborates the importance of increased iPLA2 activity in the physiopathology of psychotic disorders in patients with TLE. Supported by: FAPESP, CNPQ