Selective Loss of Smaller Spines in Schizophrenia.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Decreased density of dendritic spines in adult schizophrenia subjects has been hypothesized to result from increased pruning of excess synapses in adolescence. In vivo imaging studies have confirmed that synaptic pruning is largely driven by the loss of large or mature synapses. Thus, increased pruning throughout adolescence would likely result in a deficit of large spines in adulthood. Here, the authors examined the density and volume of dendritic spines in deep layer 3 of the auditory cortex of 20 schizophrenia and 20 matched comparison subjects as well as aberrant voltage-gated calcium channel subunit protein expression linked to spine loss.

Method

Primary auditory cortex deep layer 3 spine density and volume was assessed in 20 pairs of schizophrenia and matched

SUBMITTER: MacDonald ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5800878 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature