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Automated Sholl Analysis of Digitized Neuronal Morphology at Multiple Scales
Published on: November 14, 2010
Gyrification and neural connectivity in schizophrenia
Tonya White1, Claus C Hilgetag
1Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. t.white@erasmusmc.nl
Development and Psychopathology
|January 26, 2011
Summary
Brain surface shape and connectivity are linked, developing through nerve fiber tension. Schizophrenia may disrupt this, altering brain morphology and offering neurobiological insights.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Emerging evidence links brain surface morphology to underlying neural connectivity.
- Brain development involves tension from nerve fibers influencing morphogenesis and efficient neural processing.
- Schizophrenia presents with global symptoms suggesting widespread disruption in neuronal connectivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review developmental theories of gyrification and its interaction with neuronal connectivity.
- To explore the hypothesis that disrupted neuronal connectivity in schizophrenia alters brain surface morphology.
- To understand the neurobiological underpinnings of schizophrenia through altered brain form.
Main Methods:
- Review of developmental theories of brain gyrification.
- Analysis of studies investigating gyrification abnormalities in schizophrenia.
- Examination of the relationship between brain morphology and neuronal connectivity.
Main Results:
- Studies show altered gyrification patterns in children, adolescents, and adults with schizophrenia.
- A relationship exists between disrupted neural function and altered cerebral cortex surface morphology in schizophrenia.
- Altered brain morphology may be a key indicator of neurobiological abnormalities in schizophrenia.
Conclusions:
- Brain surface morphology and neural connectivity are interconnected, established during development.
- Schizophrenia is associated with disruptions in neuronal connectivity that manifest as altered brain morphology.
- Investigating gyrification abnormalities offers insights into the neurobiology of schizophrenia.
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