Microglia-neuron interactions in prefrontal gray matter in schizophrenia: a postmortem ultrastructural morphometric...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cell Biology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Satellite microglia (SatMg) interact with neurons, regulating activity and neuroplasticity.
• Disrupted SatMg-neuron communication is implicated in neurological disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate abnormalities in SatMg-neuron interactions in the prefrontal cortex of schizophrenia patients.
• To examine ultrastructural changes in SatMg and adjacent neurons in schizophrenia.

Main Methods:

• Postmortem ultrastructural morphometric analysis of prefrontal cortex layer 5 neurons and SatMg.
• Comparison between 21 schizophrenia cases and 20 healthy controls.
• Quantitative assessment of mitochondrial and lipofuscin granule density, and endoplasmic reticulum vacuoles.

Main Results:

• Increased SatMg density in younger schizophrenia patients and those with shorter illness duration.
• Reduced mitochondrial volume and number, increased lipofuscin and endoplasmic reticulum vacuoles in SatMg from schizophrenia brains.
• Larger neuronal soma area and increased endoplasmic reticulum vacuoles in schizophrenia.
• Altered correlations between neuronal vacuoles and SatMg mitochondria in schizophrenia.

Conclusions:

• Schizophrenia is associated with disturbed SatMg-neuron interactions.
• Mitochondrial abnormalities in SatMg play a key role in these disturbances.
• Changes in SatMg and neurons progress with age and illness duration.