SLC7A11 and schizophrenia: An interesting downstream effect of enhanced xc- activity is the increased efflux of glutamate, which may participate to schizophrenia physiopathology by affecting the inhibitory/excitatory balance.22 Glutamate levels in various brain regions are higher in early psychosis patients than in matched healthy controls.44 Accordingly, impairment of glutamate transport has been suggested by 'postmortem' brain studies of schizophrenia patients.45,46 The upregulation of xCT may thus participate in the impairment of glutamate transport and in the increase of brain glutamate in schizophrenia.