Pathology of Layer V Pyramidal Neurons in the Prefrontal Cortex of Patients With Schizophrenia
Abstract
Objective Morphological indications of abnormal circuitry have been detected in the prefrontal neuropil of patients with schizophrenia. The authors tested the hypothesis that schizophrenia is associated with smaller dendritic field size in layer V pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex. Method Tissue from area 10 with a mean postmortem interval of 5.7 hours was obtained from 15 subjects with chronic schizophrenia and 18 normal comparison subjects. After Golgi impregnation, basilar dendritic field size was estimated for layer V pyramidal neurons by ring intersection analysis. Results The schizophrenia subjects had 40% fewer total ring intersections per neuron than comparison subjects. Smaller basilar dendritic field size was evident in proximal and distal branches. Conclusions These results indicate that abnormal dendritic outgrowth or maintenance contributes to reduced neuropil and prefrontal connectivity in schizophrenia. Short postmortem intervals and resulting high tissue quality suggest that these dystrophic changes reflect schizophrenia pathology rather than postmortem artifact.
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Neuronal cell bodies are preserved in the dlPFC in schizophrenia.
“Neuronal cell bodies are preserved, but there is extensive loss of dendrites and spines from layers III and possibly layer V pyramidal cells4,117,118.”
From Stress weakens prefrontal networks: molecular insults to higher cognition (2015) · cites this paper as [118]
There is extensive loss of dendrites and spines from layers III and possibly layer V pyramidal cells in the dlPFC in schizophrenia.
“Neuronal cell bodies are preserved, but there is extensive loss of dendrites and spines from layers III and possibly layer V pyramidal cells4,117,118.”
From Stress weakens prefrontal networks: molecular insults to higher cognition (2015) · cites this paper as [118]
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- Authors
- Black, J. E., Kodish, I. M., Grossman, A. W., Klintsova, A. Y., Orlovskaya, D., Vostrikov, V., Uranova, N., & Greenough, W. T.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- American Journal of Psychiatry
- Published
- 2004-04-01
- Volume
- 161
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 742-744
- ISSN
- 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
- 1535-7228
- OpenAlex
- W2127946463
- Cited by
- 250
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 7.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
- Keywords
- schizophrenia, prefrontal cortex, layer 5 pyramidal neurons, dendritic field size, dendritic outgrowth, prefrontal connectivity, postmortem interval, neuropathology
- MeSH terms
- Cell Count, Chronic Disease, Dendrites, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Schizophrenia, Prefrontal Cortex, Pyramidal Cells
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