The neuropathology of schizophrenia: new insights from postmortem studies

Excerpt

Brain imaging studies contributed substantially to advanced insights into alterations of specific brain circuits in schizophrenia. For example, in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, Bergé et al. [1] determined brain activation during facial emotion discrimination in first-episode schizophrenia patients before starting antipsychotic treatment and after clinical improvement. At baseline, in ventro-limbic regions, including hippocampus and amygdalae, ventral–posterior regions and fronto-temporal regions, hypoactivation could be detected. In contrast, after treatment and clinical improvement, activity increased in lingual gyrus, calcarine fissure and amygdalae during anger discrimination. The neuropathology underlying decreased activation or volumetric deficits on the cellular and molecular level is, however, unknown, and postmortem investigations may contribute to provide pathophysiological insights. …