From NMDA Receptor Hypofunction to the Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia J
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REVIEW The Neuropsychopharmacology of Phencyclidine: From NMDA Receptor Hypofunction to the Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia J. David Jentsch, Ph.D., and Robert H. Roth, Ph.D. Administration of noncompetitive NMDA/glutamate effects of these drugs are discussed, especially with regard to receptor antagonists, such as phencyclidine (PCP) and differing profiles following single-dose and long-term ketamine, to humans induces a broad range of exposure. The neurochemical effects of NMDA receptor schizophrenic-like symptomatology, findings that have antagonist administration are argued to support a contributed to a hypoglutamatergic hypothesis of neurobiological hypothesis of schizophrenia, which includes schizophrenia. Moreover, a history of experimental pathophysiology within several neurotransmitter systems, investigations of the effects of these drugs in animals manifested in behavioral pathology. Future directions for suggests that NMDA receptor antagonists may model some the application of NMDA receptor antagonist models of behavioral symptoms of schizophrenia in nonhuman schizophrenia to preclinical and pathophysiological research subjects. In this review, the usefulness of PCP are offered. [Neuropsychopharmacology 20:201–225, administration as a potential animal model of schizophrenia 1999] © 1999 American College of is considered. To support the contention that NMDA Neuropsychopharmacology. Published by Elsevier receptor antagonist administration represents a viable Science Inc. model of schizophrenia, the behavioral and neurobiological KEY WORDS: Ketamine; Phencyclidine; Psychotomimetic; widely from the administration of purportedly psychot- Memory; Catecholamine; Schizophrenia; Prefrontal cortex; omimetic drugs (Snyder 1988; Javitt and Zukin 1991; Cognition; Dopamine; Glutamate Jentsch et al. 1998a), to perinatal insults (Lipska et al. Biological psychiatric research has seen the develop- 1993; El-Khodor and Boksa 1997; Moore and Grace ment of many putative animal models of schizophrenia. 1997; Bertolino et al. 1997), to chronic social isolation or The etiological bases of these models have varied stress (Jones et al. 1990), and beyond. The administra- tion of psychotomimetic drugs to humans and animals represents probably the most widely accepted and uti- lized class of schizophrenia models. These “pharmaco- From the Neuropsychopharmacology Research Unit (JDJ, RHR), logical” models seem to represent methods for the in- Section of Neurobiology (JDJ), and Departments of Psychiatry (RHR) duction of psychopathology in humans and aberrant and Pharmacology (RHR), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. (potentially related) behavior in animals. Address correspondence to: Dr. J. David Jentsch, Section of Neu- At the behavioral level, there seems to be some heter- robiology, Yale University School of Medicine, P.O. Box 208001, ogeneity in the effects of different psychotomimetic New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8001. Received 25 March 1998; revised 22 May 1998; accepted 13 June drug classes. The psychomotor stimulants, such as am- 1998. phetamine and cocaine, can clearly induce a form of NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY 1999–VOL. 20, NO. 3 © 1999 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Published by Elsevier Science Inc. 0893-133X/99/$–see front matter 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010 PII S0893-133X(98)00060-8 202 J.D. Jentsch and R.H. Roth NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY 1999–VOL. 20, NO. 3 paranoid psychosis in human subjects after high-dose because of the overtly neurotoxic effects of this drug as or long-term administration, but evidence regarding determined by studies in rodents (Olney et al. 1989; the ability of these agents to induce “deficit” state 1991; Olney and Farber 1995). Nevertheless, scientists symptoms is conflicting (Angrist and Gershon 1970; have recently utilized a PCP congener, ketamine, to Everitt et al., 1997); moreover, there is evidence that am- produce a model of psychosis in humans. This drug, phetamine may actually alleviate negative and cognitive which (like PCP) noncompetitively blocks NMDA re- symptoms in schizophrenic patients (Angrist et al. 1982; ceptors, also simulates schizophrenic psychopathology Goldberg et al. 1991; Carter et al. 1997). Psychotomi- in normal humans (Krystal et al. 1994; Malhotra et al. metic indoleamines, such as lysergic acid diethylamide, 1996) and exacerbates symptoms in schizophrenic pa- can induce profound sensory hallucinations without tients (Lahti et al. 1994; Malhotra et al. 1997a). Although causing any apparent deficit state in normal subjects it seems that ketamine can induce many of the effects of (Geyer and Markou 1994) and without precipitating PCP in humans, it should be noted that ketamine is far symptomatology in schizophrenic patients (Cohen et al. less potent for inducing psychotomimetic reactions, es- 1962). In contrast, the noncompetitive antagonists of the pecially after chronic use (Rainey and Crowder 1974). N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)/glutamate receptor, in- Several reports have demonstrated that competitive cluding phencyclidine (PCP) and ketamine, seem to be NMDA receptor antagonists are also psychotomimetic capable of inducing both positive and negative symp- in humans (Bunney et al. 1994; Grotta et al. 1995; Tam- toms of schizophrenia, including cognitive dysfunction minga 1998). in normal humans (Snyder 1980; Javitt and Zukin 1991; It is important to summarize the primary symptoms Tamminga 1998); these drugs also profoundly exacer- of schizophrenia that may be “modeled” in a drug- bate both positive and negative symptoms in schizo- treated individual. Many of the “positive” symptoms of phrenic patients (Itil et al. 1967; Lahti et al. 1994; Mal- schizophrenia, including paranoia, hallucinations, im- hotra et al. 1997a). pulsivity, formal thought disorder, delusions, and vio- Because of the more comprehensive psychopathol- lent behavior, are characteristic of psychotomimetic ogy induced by PCP, many researchers have studied drug-induced psychopathology (Angrist and Gershon the effects of NMDA receptor antagonists in humans 1970; Javitt and Zukin 1991; Ellison 1995), but PCP and animals to gain insights into the neurobiology of seems to be unique among psychostimulants because of schizophrenia. In this review, the validity of NMDA re- its ability to produce “negative” or deficit state symp- ceptor antagonist-induced models of schizophrenia in toms of schizophrenia, such as emotional lability and humans and animals are considered, and the applicabil- social withdrawal. In addition, PCP/ketamine adminis- ity of acute versus chronic administration of PCP as a tration can lead to profound cognitive dysfunction more precise model is assessed. The neurobiological (Luby et al. 1959; Cohen et al. 1962; Pearlson 1981; Javitt substrates of the observed behavioral effects in acute and Zukin 1991), including impaired performance of and chronic NMDA receptor antagonist models are re- the Wisconsin Card Sort and continuous performance viewed. Finally, new directions for use of PCP/ket- vigilance tasks and deficits in delayed recall, free recall, amine administration as a model of schizophrenia are recognition memory, and verbal fluency (Krystal et al. offered. 1994; Malhotra et al. 1996). Many of these deficits impli- cate frontal lobe dysfunction (Krystal et al. 1994), which is critical for the validity of a PCP model of schizophre- nia, because frontal cortical deficits are clearly a compo- BASIS OF THE PCP/KETAMINE MODELS OF nent of the schizophrenic disease process (Fey 1951; SCHIZOPHRENIA IN HUMANS Robbins 1990; Goldman-Rakic 1991; Weinberger and Berman 1996; Goldman-Rakic and Selemon 1997). Nearly 40 years ago, it was first reported that acute ad- Although the initial observations of NMDA receptor ministration of the noncompetitive NMDA-sensitive antagonist-induced psychosis were made in humans in glutamate receptor antagonist PCP to normal humans small, controlled studies of the effects of single-dose ex- induced a psychopathology with “impressive similarity posure, PCP became a popular drug-of-abuse within [to] . certain primary symptoms of the schizophrenic certain subcultures by the early 1960s. In addition to the process” (Luby et al. 1959, p. 367). This finding has been “toxic psychosis” induced by single-dose administra- replicated over the intervening years (Davies and Beech tion, it has also been noted that repeated use of PCP by 1960; Cohen et al. 1962), and in addition, it has been humans induces a more persistent schizophrenic symp- found that PCP likewise exacerbates the primary symp- tomatology, including psychosis, hallucinations, flat- toms of chronic schizophrenic patients (Luby et al. 1959; tened affect, delusions, formal thought disorder, cogni- Itil et al. 1967). tive dysfunction, and social withdrawal (Rainey and Controlled studies of the effects of PCP in normal Crowder 1975; Allen and Young 1978; Pearlson 1981; and schizophrenic humans are now prohibited, in part, Javitt and Zukin 1991; Cosgrove and Newell 1991). NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY 1999–VOL. 20, NO. 3 NMDA Antagonist Models of Schizophrenia 203 DO ACUTE AND LONG-TERM PCP EXPOSURE social judgment, poor attention span and concentration, HAVE SIMILAR CONSEQUENCES? poor interpersonal relationships, and social maladjust- ment” (American Psychiatric Association 1989, p. 1217). An important question pertains to whether the differ- These findings provide support for the argument that ence between the behavioral and biological effects of long-term PCP abuse is