Background
Although the somal volume of Nissl-stained deep layer 3 pyramidal cells is reduced
in prefrontal cortex area 9 of subjects with schizophrenia, the subset of large pyramidal
cells immunoreactive (IR) for nonphosphorylated neurofilament protein (NNFP) is not.
Consequently, we hypothesized that the somal volume of another subset of pyramidal
cells immunoreactive for neuronal calcium binding protein-1 (Necab-1) is significantly
reduced in schizophrenia.
Methods
We labeled Necab-1-IR pyramidal neurons using immunoperoxidase techniques and estimated
the mean somal volume in deep layer 3 of area 9 in 13 matched pairs of control and
schizophrenic subjects. Identical studies were conducted for pyramidal neurons immunoreactive
for neuronal nuclear protein (Neu-N), which is present in all neurons.
Results
In subjects with schizophrenia, neither the mean somal volume of Necab-1-IR pyramidal
neurons nor of Neu-N-IR pyramidal neurons was significantly different from control
subjects. In addition, the mean somal volume of Neu-N-IR cells was larger than that
of Nissl-stained cells in both subject groups, and the magnitude of this difference
was greater for the subjects with schizophrenia.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that immunoperoxidase techniques are associated with an overestimation
of the volume of labeled neurons. This confound appears to interact with disease state,
and thus obscures differences between diagnostic groups.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 06, 2006
Accepted:
October 22,
2005
Received in revised form:
October 12,
2005
Received:
May 27,
2005
Identification
Copyright
© 2006 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
