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Published on: February 8, 2018
Perisomatic inhibition and cortical circuit dysfunction in schizophrenia
David A Lewis1, Kenneth N Fish, Dominique Arion
1Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States. lewisda@upmc.edu
Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|June 18, 2011
Summary
Schizophrenia impairs cognitive control due to altered gamma oscillations in the brain. This study links these changes to GABAergic signaling deficits involving parvalbumin basket interneurons in the prefrontal cortex.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cellular Biology
Background:
- Cognitive control deficits are a hallmark of schizophrenia.
- Gamma oscillations in the prefrontal cortex are crucial for cognitive functions.
- Parvalbumin basket interneurons are key generators of cortical gamma oscillations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of parvalbumin basket interneurons and GABAergic signaling in altered prefrontal gamma oscillations in schizophrenia.
- To examine pre- and post-synaptic markers of GABAergic input strength in schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of pre- and post-synaptic markers related to GABAergic inputs from parvalbumin basket neurons to pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia.
Main Results:
- Alterations were observed in pre- and post-synaptic markers of GABAergic input strength from parvalbumin basket neurons to pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex of schizophrenia subjects.
- These findings suggest a disruption in the inhibitory signaling mediated by these interneurons.
Conclusions:
- Deficits in GABAergic signaling involving parvalbumin basket interneurons may underlie the impaired gamma oscillations observed in schizophrenia.
- These alterations represent a potential neural substrate contributing to cognitive control impairments in schizophrenia.
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