[A possible relationship between disturbed interhemispheric asymmetry and a decrease in perineuronal oligodendrocytes...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Interhemispheric asymmetry is a fundamental feature of brain organization.
• Oligodendrocytes, crucial for myelin formation and neuronal support, play a role in brain development and function.
• Alterations in oligodendrocyte populations have been implicated in various neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential role of oligodendrocyte deficit in the development of interhemispheric asymmetry.
• To examine perineuronal oligodendrocyte counts in the inferior parietal cortex in schizophrenia.

Main Methods:

• Post-mortem brain samples from patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls were analyzed.
• Perineuronal oligodendrocytes in layer III of Broadmann area 39 were quantified in both cerebral hemispheres using Nissl staining.

Main Results:

• A significant left-hemispheric asymmetry of perineuronal oligodendrocytes was observed in the control group.
• Patients with schizophrenia exhibited a 22% decrease in perineuronal oligodendrocytes compared to controls.
• The characteristic interhemispheric asymmetry of these cells was absent in individuals with schizophrenia.

Conclusions:

• A deficit in perineuronal oligodendrocytes in the inferior parietal cortex is present in schizophrenia.
• This oligodendrocyte deficit may significantly contribute to the disturbed interhemispheric asymmetry observed in this brain region in schizophrenia.
• Findings suggest a potential cellular basis for altered brain connectivity in schizophrenia.