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European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 3/2016

Open Access 01-04-2016 | Original Paper

Decreased ribosomal DNA transcription in dorsal raphe nucleus neurons differentiates between suicidal and non-suicidal death

Authors: Marta Krzyżanowska, Johann Steiner, Karol Karnecki, Michał Kaliszan, Ralf Brisch, Marek Wiergowski, Katharina Braun, Zbigniew Jankowski, Tomasz Gos

Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience | Issue 3/2016

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Abstract

An involvement of the central serotonergic system has been implicated in the pathogenesis of suicide. The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is the main source of serotonergic innervation of forebrain limbic structures disturbed in suicidal behaviour. The study was carried out on paraffin-embedded brainstem blocks containing the DRN obtained from 27 suicide completers (predominantly violent) with unknown psychiatric diagnosis and 30 non-suicidal controls. The transcriptional activity of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) in DRN neurons as a surrogate marker of protein biosynthesis was evaluated by the AgNOR silver staining method. Significant decreases in AgNOR parameters suggestive of attenuated rDNA activity were found in the cumulative analysis of all DRN subnuclei in suicide victims versus controls (U test P values < 0.00001). Our findings suggest that the decreased activity of rDNA transcription in DRN neurons plays an important role in suicide pathogenesis. The method accuracy represented by the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (>80 %) suggests a diagnostic value of the observed effect. However, the possible application of the method in forensic differentiation diagnostics between suicidal and non-suicidal death needs further research.
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Metadata
Title
Decreased ribosomal DNA transcription in dorsal raphe nucleus neurons differentiates between suicidal and non-suicidal death
Authors
Marta Krzyżanowska
Johann Steiner
Karol Karnecki
Michał Kaliszan
Ralf Brisch
Marek Wiergowski
Katharina Braun
Zbigniew Jankowski
Tomasz Gos
Publication date
01-04-2016
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience / Issue 3/2016
Print ISSN: 0940-1334
Electronic ISSN: 1433-8491
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-015-0655-4

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