[Morphological changes in the brain in schizophrenia]

In 1975-1985 in the mental hospital in Dobrany died 225 patients with chronic schizophrenia. The author presents the causes of death confirmed by necropsy. In all the brain was examined by a light microscope. Ordinary microscopy revealed that in chronic schizophrenia at the age above 65 years Alzheimer's disease is six times more frequent than in the case-records of the mentally healthy population. Electron microscopic examination performed in 22 cases of schizophrenia revealed changes on the synapses at all examined sites of the cerebral cortex--i.e. aggregations of synaptic vesicles. The most probable cause of aggregation of synaptic vesicles could be an impaired "immunological interaction" between synaptic vesicles which from the physiological aspect have at least three types of origin. The findings are supplemented also by data on the function of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in the physiology and pathology of cerebral functions. The author draws attention to research focused on immunological reactivity in schizophrenia. During electron microscopic examination artefacts caused by premortal agony were eliminated as well as those caused by post-mortem changes and tissue fixation. As controls the author examined the cerebral cortex of five subjects who did not suffer from mental disease. The author also submits a of morphological incorporation of synapses in the structure of the cerebral cortex of five subjects who did not suffer from mental disease. The author to the possible relation to clinical manifestations of the disease.