A research for molecular level characteristics of monoaminergic neurons in schizophrenia by means of histochemical approach on autopsied human brains

本研究在人细胞核（Acc）中发现了许多芳香l -氨基酸脱羧酶阳性、酪氨酸羟化酶阴性和色氨酸羟化酶阴性的神经元（d -神经元）。精神分裂症患者Acc中d神经元数量显著低于对照组（p<0.05， t检验）。通过凝集素染色，我们发现了直径3 ~ 10μ的球形沉积物（SPDs），主要分布在海马齿状回的内层和中间分子层。精神分裂症患者的spd数量高于老年人和退行性痴呆患者。Acc接收来自海马、前扣带皮层、杏仁核和丘脑的兴奋性氨基酸的纤维投射，核投射到腹侧palladium和中脑。Acc被认为是将情绪转化为行动的界面，与精神分裂症的病因有关。穿孔通路突触在齿状回颗粒细胞产生的齿状体的外部部分。这个区域覆盖了大约三分之二的颗粒细胞树突，穿孔通路贡献了80-85%的突触末梢。相反，分子层的内三分之一部分接收来自CA4区和隔膜的传入信号。齿状回分子层中存在许多spd，表明这些沉积物与海马CA4区神经元树突之间可能存在不利的相互作用，并可能在精神分裂症和/或退行性痴呆患者的记忆紊乱中发挥关键作用。关于海马体的形成，关于精神分裂症可能的海马体病因学的假设已经形成。本研究提示海马齿状回Acc区和spd区的d神经元可能与精神分裂症的病理有关。

In this study, we found many Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase positive, tyrosine hydroxylase negative and tryptophan hydroxylase negative neurons (D-neurons) in the nucleus (Acc) of human. The number of D-neurons in schizophrenic patients was significantly lower than in controls (p<0.05, t-test) in the Acc. And, we found the spherical deposits (SPDs) with a size of 3-10μ in diameter mainly within the inner and middle molecular layer of the dentate gyrus of hippocampal formation by lectin staining. The number of the SPDs in schizophrenic patients was higher than in aged individuals and degenerative dementia patients. The Acc receives fiber projections of excitatory amino acid from the hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala and thalamus, and the nucleus projects to ventral palladium and midbrain. The Acc is thought to be an interface that converts emotion to action and to relate to the etiology of schizophrenia. The perforate pathway synapses on the outer portion of the dentate that arises from the dentate gyrus granule cells. This subtends approximately two-thirds of the granule cell dendrites and the perforate pathway contributes 80-85% of the synaptic terminals that end in this zone. By contrast, the inner one-third portion of the molecular layer receives afferents from the CA4 zone and from the septum. The presence of many SPDs in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus suggests that there may exist a disadvantageous interaction between these deposits and dendrites of neurons of the CA4 zone of the hippocampus and may play a key part in the perturbation of the memory of patients with schizophrenia and/or degenerative dementias. Concerning the hippocampal formation, hypotheses of a possible hippocampal etiology of schizophrenia have been formulated. This study suggests that D-neurons in the Acc and SPDs in the dentate gyrus of hippocampal formation may relate to the pathology of schizophrenia.