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European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

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01-09-2013 | Original Paper

Neuropathological changes in the nucleus basalis in schizophrenia

Authors: M. R. Williams, R. Marsh, C. D. Macdonald, J. Jain, R. K. B. Pearce, S. R. Hirsch, O. Ansorge, S. M. Gentleman, M. Maier

Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience | Issue 6/2013

Abstract

The nucleus basalis has not been examined in detail in severe mental illness. Several studies have demonstrated decreases in glia and glial markers in the cerebral cortex in schizophrenia, familial bipolar disorder and recurrent depression. Changes in neocortical neuron size and shape have also been reported. The nucleus basalis is a collection of large cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain receiving information from the midbrain and limbic system, projecting to the cortex and involved with attention, learning and memory, and receives regulation from serotonergic inputs. Forty-one cases aged 41–60 years with schizophrenia or major depressive disorder with age-matched controls were collected. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded coronal nucleus basalis sections were histologically stained for oligodendrocyte identification with cresyl-haematoxylin counterstain, for neuroarchitecture with differentiated cresyl violet stain and astrocytes were detected by glial fibrillary acid protein immunohistochemistry. Cell density and neuroarchitecture were measured using Image Pro Plus. There were larger NB oval neuron soma in the combined schizophrenia and major depression disorder groups (p = 0.038), with no significant change between controls and schizophrenia and major depression disorder separately. There is a significant reduction in oligodendrocyte density (p = 0.038) in the nucleus basalis in schizophrenia. The ratio of gemistocytic to fibrillary astrocytes showed a greater proportion of the former in schizophrenia (18.1 %) and major depressive disorder (39.9 %) than in controls (7.9 %). These results suggest glial cell abnormalities in the nucleus basalis in schizophrenia possibly leading to cortical-limbic disturbance and subcortical dysfunction.

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Title: Neuropathological changes in the nucleus basalis in schizophrenia
Authors: M. R. Williams
R. Marsh
C. D. Macdonald
J. Jain
R. K. B. Pearce
S. R. Hirsch
O. Ansorge
S. M. Gentleman
M. Maier
Publication date: 01-09-2013
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience / Issue 6/2013
Print ISSN: 0940-1334
Electronic ISSN: 1433-8491
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-012-0387-7

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