Abstract
Background: The role of the striatum in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia is not understood. In a previous postmortem study, we found a reduction in the density of striatal interneurons that stain immunohistochemically for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in schizophrenia. Methods: To determine whether this finding represents a specific alteration in ChAT gene expression, we used in situ hybridization to study the striatum of 11 control and 9 schizophrenic subjects with oligonucleotide probes complementary to human ChAT mRNA, preprosomatostatin (PPS) mRNA, and β-actin mRNA. Densities of ChAT mRNA-positive neurons, ChAT mRNA expression per neuron, PPS mRNA-positive neurons, and β-actin mRNA expression levels were measured. Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in densities of PPS mRNA-positive neurons and levels of β-actin mRNA expression throughout the striatum, or in densities of ChAT mRNA-positive neurons in the caudate nucleus or putamen. However, in the ventral striatum, the mean density of ChAT mRNA-positive neurons was reduced to 26% of control levels in the schizophrenic group. Conclusions: There is a reduction in number or function of the cholinergic interneurons of the ventral striatum in schizophrenia.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 408-416 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Biological psychiatry |
Volume | 58 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 1 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Basal ganglia
- Cholinergic
- In situ hybridization
- Postmortem
- Schizophrenia
- Striatum
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biological Psychiatry