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Purinergic modulation of pathways associated to suicidal behavior

Molecular Psychiatry volume 25, pages 514–516 (2020)Cite this article

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In our recent review, we discussed the most recent available literature regarding purinergic system and pathophysiology of psychiatric diseases [1]. Although suicide is a topic that we chose not to explore in a first moment, we understand it as a public health issue lacking substantial discussions and conclusions regarding its neurobiological basis, which might include genetic predispositions, molecular and cellular triggers, and epigenetic factors. Moreover, it should be mentioned that suicidal behavior can occur independently of psychiatric diseases and could be considered a disorder by itself. Given that, a special topic should be dedicated to suicidal behavior, being a difficult task due to the lack of functional data linking the purinergic system and suicidal behavior.

However, we agree with the fact that indirect evidence exists pointing to the involvement of the purinergic system in the neurobiology of suicide when related to psychiatric disorders, such as depression, and to behavioral phenotypes, such as impulsivity/aggressiveness, as discussed in the Letter to the Editor by Bartoli et al. [2]. The authors of this manuscript appreciably filled in a gap by drawing attention to a possible role of purinergic signaling in suicidal behaviors linked to depression and impulsivity through adenosine A2A receptor activity, although this association should be carefully considered [2]. Here, we make some additional considerations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology and Neurosciences, Medical School, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Maria Carolina Bittencourt Gonçalves

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Juliana Corrêa-Velloso, Yahaira Naaldijk, Arquimedes Cheffer & Henning Ulrich

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  1. Maria Carolina Bittencourt Gonçalves
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Correspondence to Henning Ulrich.

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Gonçalves, M.C.B., Corrêa-Velloso, J., Naaldijk, Y. et al. Purinergic modulation of pathways associated to suicidal behavior. Mol Psychiatry 25, 514–516 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-018-0088-3

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