Description of schizophrenia and related mechanisms: oxidative stress and role of ketamine against N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor

Schizophrenia is a very violent mental illness with an occurrence of less than 1% in the global population. The disease mainly happens in early adulthood and late adolescence, at which time the symptoms and psychological features of the disease appear and often lead to a difficult and painful life for both the patient and his family. This disorder can be impressed by genetic and environmental factors. Environmental factors including infections, stress, nutrition, etc. can change the risk of developing this disease. Genetic factors such as genes involved in neurological processes can also have a main role in the disease development. Glutamate receptors are accountable for glutamate-mediated postsynaptic stimulation of nerve cells and are essential for learning, memory development, neuron communication, anxiety, pain perception, and regulation of brain function. However, hyperactivity of NMDA receptors is effective in the development of schizophrenia. Non-competitive antagonists or open channels of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors or NMDARs including low-dose phencyclidine and ketamine lead to schizophrenia-like symptoms and results in GABA impairment. Levels of glutamate in the hippocampus are also increased by ketamine, which corresponds to an increase in glutamate in schizophrenia. This study aimed to description of schizophrenia and related mechanisms by focus on the oxidative stress and role of ketamine against NMDA receptor.

Description of schizophrenia and related mechanisms: oxidative stress and role of ketamine against N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor Keywords:

Schizophrenia , oxidative stress , NMDAR , Ketamine