The association between plasma betaine level and brain structural changes in schizophrenia
Abstract Previous studies on metabolic profiling have shown decreased plasma levels of betaine in schizophrenia. Betaine serves as a substrate of betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase, which converts homocysteine to methionine. A decrease in betaine may lead to the elevation of homocysteine and an...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Schizophrenia |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41537-025-00657-3 |
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| author | Favour Omileke Tempei Ikegame Shimon Tonsho Shunsuke Mori Eimu Shoji Masahiro Kiyota Takuto Minami Eureka Kumagai Tatsuro Asai Kenji Kirihara Shinsuke Koike Seiichiro Jinde Kouhei Kamiya Osamu Abe Kiyoto Kasai Naohiro Okada |
| author_facet | Favour Omileke Tempei Ikegame Shimon Tonsho Shunsuke Mori Eimu Shoji Masahiro Kiyota Takuto Minami Eureka Kumagai Tatsuro Asai Kenji Kirihara Shinsuke Koike Seiichiro Jinde Kouhei Kamiya Osamu Abe Kiyoto Kasai Naohiro Okada |
| author_sort | Favour Omileke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Previous studies on metabolic profiling have shown decreased plasma levels of betaine in schizophrenia. Betaine serves as a substrate of betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase, which converts homocysteine to methionine. A decrease in betaine may lead to the elevation of homocysteine and an insufficient supply of methyl donors, which may affect DNA methylation. To explore how decreased betaine levels could affect brain structural changes often observed in schizophrenia, the present study investigated the relationships in 27 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 49 healthy comparison individuals. We found that the effects of betaine on brain volume are group-specific, and significant correlations between betaine and notable brain areas implicated in schizophrenia’s pathophysiology including the superior temporal gyrus. These findings suggest that betaine levels may contribute to aberrant structural changes in schizophrenia. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9847b1cc6d544fae80d51661828b1bda |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2754-6993 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Schizophrenia |
| spelling | doaj-art-9847b1cc6d544fae80d51661828b1bda2025-08-20T03:05:09ZengNature PortfolioSchizophrenia2754-69932025-08-011111910.1038/s41537-025-00657-3The association between plasma betaine level and brain structural changes in schizophreniaFavour Omileke0Tempei Ikegame1Shimon Tonsho2Shunsuke Mori3Eimu Shoji4Masahiro Kiyota5Takuto Minami6Eureka Kumagai7Tatsuro Asai8Kenji Kirihara9Shinsuke Koike10Seiichiro Jinde11Kouhei Kamiya12Osamu Abe13Kiyoto Kasai14Naohiro Okada15Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoCenter for Evolutionary Cognitive Sciences, Graduate School of Art and Sciences, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Radiology, Toho University Omori Medical CenterDepartment of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoAbstract Previous studies on metabolic profiling have shown decreased plasma levels of betaine in schizophrenia. Betaine serves as a substrate of betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase, which converts homocysteine to methionine. A decrease in betaine may lead to the elevation of homocysteine and an insufficient supply of methyl donors, which may affect DNA methylation. To explore how decreased betaine levels could affect brain structural changes often observed in schizophrenia, the present study investigated the relationships in 27 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 49 healthy comparison individuals. We found that the effects of betaine on brain volume are group-specific, and significant correlations between betaine and notable brain areas implicated in schizophrenia’s pathophysiology including the superior temporal gyrus. These findings suggest that betaine levels may contribute to aberrant structural changes in schizophrenia.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41537-025-00657-3 |
| spellingShingle | Favour Omileke Tempei Ikegame Shimon Tonsho Shunsuke Mori Eimu Shoji Masahiro Kiyota Takuto Minami Eureka Kumagai Tatsuro Asai Kenji Kirihara Shinsuke Koike Seiichiro Jinde Kouhei Kamiya Osamu Abe Kiyoto Kasai Naohiro Okada The association between plasma betaine level and brain structural changes in schizophrenia Schizophrenia |
| title | The association between plasma betaine level and brain structural changes in schizophrenia |
| title_full | The association between plasma betaine level and brain structural changes in schizophrenia |
| title_fullStr | The association between plasma betaine level and brain structural changes in schizophrenia |
| title_full_unstemmed | The association between plasma betaine level and brain structural changes in schizophrenia |
| title_short | The association between plasma betaine level and brain structural changes in schizophrenia |
| title_sort | association between plasma betaine level and brain structural changes in schizophrenia |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41537-025-00657-3 |
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