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Bipolar disorder type 1 and schizophrenia are accompanied by decreased density of parvalbumin- and somatostatin-positive interneurons in the parahippocampal region

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Abstract

GABAergic interneurons synchronize network activities and monitor information flow. Post-mortem studies have reported decreased densities of cortical interneurons in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BPD). The entorhinal cortex (EC) and the adjacent subicular regions are a hub for integration of hippocampal and cortical information, a process that is disrupted in SZ. Here we contrast and compare the density of interneuron populations in the caudal EC and subicular regions in BPD type I (BPD-I), SZ, and normal control (NC) subjects. Post-mortem human parahippocampal specimens of 13 BPD-I, 11 SZ and 17 NC subjects were used to examine the numerical density of parvalbumin-, somatostatin- or calbindin-positive interneurons. We observed a reduction in the numerical density of parvalbumin- and somatostatin-positive interneurons in the caudal EC and parasubiculum in BPD-I and SZ, but no change in the subiculum. Calbindin-positive interneuron densities were normal in all brain areas examined. The profile of decreased density was strikingly similar in BPD-I and SZ. Our results demonstrate a specific reduction of parvalbumin- and somatostatin-positive interneurons in the parahippocampal region in BPD-I and SZ, likely disrupting synchronization and integration of cortico-hippocampal circuits.

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Abbreviations

BPD:

Bipolar disorder

SZ:

Schizophrenia

NC:

Normal control

EC:

Entorhinal cortex

PFC:

Prefrontal cortex

PV:

Parvalbumin

SOM:

Somatostatin

CB:

Calbindin

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health [MH67999 (SH) and MH068855 (Dr. Benes, HBTRC)]. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding institute or the National Institutes of Health. The authors are indebted to Dr. Gary Van Hoesen who advised on the layers of the parahippocampal regions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuroscience Program for Undergraduates, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Alice Y. Wang

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Kathryn M. Lohmann, C. Kevin Yang, Eric I. Zimmerman, Nicole Herring, Stephan Heckers & Christine Konradi

  3. Translational Neuroscience Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA

    Harry Pantazopoulos & Sabina Berretta

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

    Harry Pantazopoulos & Sabina Berretta

  5. Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, MRB 3, Room 8160A, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37232-8548, USA

    Christine Konradi

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  1. Alice Y. Wang
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  2. Kathryn M. Lohmann
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Correspondence to Christine Konradi.

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Wang, A.Y., Lohmann, K.M., Yang, C.K. et al. Bipolar disorder type 1 and schizophrenia are accompanied by decreased density of parvalbumin- and somatostatin-positive interneurons in the parahippocampal region. Acta Neuropathol 122, 615–626 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-011-0881-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-011-0881-4

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