With several new medications targeting the glutamatergic system and related neurocircuits being developed and new succesful Phase II studies and currently ongoing Phase II and Phase-III studies for the treatment of schizophrenia, there is now again a lot of interest in the investigation of glutmatergic mechanisms in schizophrenia. In addition, glutamatergic mechanisms are also highly relevant in other psychiatric conditions, such as major depression or alcohol misuse.
In this symposium, leading experts in the field will present new data focussing on the genetics of the glutamatergic system, personalized therapy and new insghts into glutamatergic mechanisms in the brain with high field (7T) MR Spectroscopy in patients with schizophrenia and major depression, the role of EEG Biomarkers and MR Spectroscopy findings in alcohol misuse.
Dan Rujescu will present new genetic findings in schizophrenia showing altered neuronal function, including synaptic organization, differentiation and glutamatergic transmission. This data points towards the glutamatergic (post)synapses of pyramidal cells, interneurons and medium spiny neurons. Thus, biological processes relevant to schizophrenia pathophysiology display a strong glutamatergic component. He will also give an example on how these findings can already lead to personalized therapy. Christoph Mulert will summarize current developments of medication targeting glutamatergic neurotransmission in schizophrenia and outline new data concerning a potential role of EEG biomarkers for symptom-specific and personalized treatment approaches. Jürgen Gallinat will demonstrate recent findings using high field (7T) MR Spectroscopy in patients with major depression and patients with schizophrenia. Gabriele Ende will summarise own 1H-MRS findings over the last two decades in alcohol misuse and provide an overview of the field.