Recent cytoarchitechtonic changes in the prefrontal cortex of schizophrenics

A variety of lines of converging evidence implicate the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in schizophrenia. In the past studies have focused on the various neurotransmitter systems that appear to be involved in schizophrenia such as dopamine, glutamate and serotonin. Recently, the focus of research has shifted away from systems and towards cellular morphology due partly to studies suggesting an increase in neural density in various regions of the PFC (1,2). A plethora of research has come out suggesting possible cytoarchitectural changes in pyramidal cells in the prefrontal cortex as well as alterations of certain GABAergic cells. This review examines the recent data that shows cytoarchitechtonic changes in cells of the prefrontal cortex.