Low medial and lateral right pulvinar volumes in schizophrenia: a postmortem study.
OBJECTIVE
In this study, the volume and neuronal number of the pulvinar thalamic nucleus in schizophrenia patients were measured.


METHODS
The authors examined medial and lateral pulvinar nuclei bilaterally in 27 patients with schizophrenia and 28 normal comparison subjects.


RESULTS
In the comparison subjects, the medial pulvinar was larger on the right. The right but not left pulvinar nuclei were smaller in the schizophrenia patients than in the comparison subjects. The number of neurons showed similar trends.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings confirm low pulvinar volume in schizophrenia and show that it affects both medial and lateral nuclei. The lateralized findings may reflect pulvinar connections with asymmetrical neocortical regions and their asymmetrical involvement in schizophrenia.
Highley
J Robin
JR
University Department of Psychaitry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK.
Walker
Mary A
MA
Crow
Timothy J
TJ
Esiri
Margaret M
MM
Harrison
Paul J
PJ
D000368:Aged; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D020649:Pulvinar / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology