Regional Specificity of Cortical Layer 3 Dendritic Spine Deficits in Schizophrenia

Do dendritic spine density and size alterations differ across nodes of the cortical visual-spatial working memory network in schizophrenia?This case-control study found lower densities of small dendritic spines in primary visual cortex and of medium and large dendritic spines in posterior parietal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices of individuals with schizophrenia.Large and small dendritic spines differ in their impact on circuit maintenance vs remodeling, suggesting different functional impairments of primary sensory vs association regions of the cortical visual-spatial working memory network in individuals with schizophrenia.

Corresponding Author: Kenneth N. Fish, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, Biomedical Science Tower, Room W1651, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (fishkn@upmc.edu).

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