Abstract
It has long been known that auditory processing is disrupted in schizophrenia. More recently, postmortem studies have provided direct evidence that morphological alterations to neurons in auditory cortex are implicated in the pathophysiology of this illness, confirming previous predictions. Potential neural substrates for auditory impairment and gray matter loss in auditory cortex in schizophrenia have been identified, described, and are the focus of this review article. Pyramidal cell somal volume is reduced in auditory cortex, as are dendritic spine density and number in schizophrenia. Pyramidal cells are not lost in this region in schizophrenia, indicating that dendritic spine reductions reflect fewer spines per pyramidal cell, consistent with the reduced neuropil hypothesis of schizophrenia. Stereological methods have aided in the proper collection, reporting and interpretation of this data. Mechanistic studies exploring relationships between genetic risk for schizophrenia and altered dendrite morphology represent an important avenue for future research in order to further elucidate cellular pathology in auditory cortex in schizophrenia.
Highlights
Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that besets approximately 1% of the global population (Wong and Van Tol, 2003) and auditory impairment is a fundamental characteristic of schizophrenia psychopathology
The density of SP-IR puncta was reduced by 27.2% in deep layer III of A1 in schizophrenia
These findings were consistent with previous results reporting reduced dendritic spine density in regions of neocortex and of the hippocampal formation implicated in schizophrenia (Moyer et al, 2015)
Summary
Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that besets approximately 1% of the global population (Wong and Van Tol, 2003) and auditory impairment is a fundamental characteristic of schizophrenia psychopathology. Individuals with schizophrenia present with auditory hallucinations (Insel, 2010). Many individuals with this illness experience auditory sensory processing deficits that can manifest, for instance, in impaired ability to distinguish between auditory tones (Pekkonen et al, 2002; O’Donnell et al, 2004; Kantrowitz et al, 2011, 2014). Auditory sensory processing deficits in turn contribute to socio-cognitive dysfunction (Leitman et al, 2005, 2007, 2010; Javitt and Sweet, 2015; Kantrowitz et al, 2015, 2016). Those with prominent socio-cognitive dysfunction have the poorest functional outcomes (Green et al, 2004, 2015; Fett et al, 2011)
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