Regio entorhinalis in schizophrenia: more evidence for migrational disturbances and suggestions for a new biological hypothesis

Pharmacopsychiatry. 2003 Nov:36 Suppl 3:S158-61. doi: 10.1055/s-2003-45124.

Abstract

Recently we were able to replicate the original finding of migrational disturbances in the entorhinal cortex (ERC) of schizophrenic patients by measuring the distance of pre-alpha cell clusters to the pial surface. In order to replicate this finding, we performed a detailed analysis of the pre-alpha cell clusters in the ERC in post mortem brains of 22 schizophrenic patients and 15 control subjects. Cluster position relative to gray/white matter boundary were measured and normalized by the widths of the gray matter. In the ERC the pre-alpha cell clusters were situated significantly closer to the gray/white matter junction compared to normal controls (around 30 %, F = 9.52, p = 0.004). No specific effects of sex, age or region of investigation were found. In summary, this is another quantitative replication of pre-alpha cell cluster migrational disturbances in schizophrenia, which are possibly linked to neurobiological abnormalities, e.g. myeloarchitectonic changes. This supports the notion that developmental abnormalities are a core feature of schizophrenia and that the search for candidate genes has to include this aspect, too. However, it is very probable that vulnerability-associated changes - as outlined here - have to be distinguished from disease-related changes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Autopsy
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cell Movement*
  • Entorhinal Cortex / pathology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Schizophrenia / pathology*
  • Sex Factors