Granule cells of the dentate gyrus with basal and recurrent dendrites in schizophrenic patients and controls. A comparative Golgi study.
We report on structural variability of granule cells in the human dentate gyrus. Granule cells with basal and recurrent dendrites are a normal finding in the human brain. We detect 28.3% granule cells with basal dendrites in non-psychiatrically ill humans compared to rats (2%) and primates (10%). This can be seen as an indication for the higher phylogeny of the human brain. In addition we find a significantly higher incidence of granule cells with basal dendrites (45.7%) in brains of schizophrenic patients. Whereas drug influences during lifetime cannot fully be excluded, we tend to interpret this finding as a plastic reaction to prenatal developmental malformations of the impinging rostral entorhinal region.
Senitz
D
D
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Federal Republic of Germany. senitz@mail.uni-wuerzburg.de
Beckmann
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003712:Dendrites / Q000473:pathology*; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*; D016622:Silver Staining / Q000379:methods*