Gene Expression Profile for Schizophrenia

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Abstract
SCHIZOPHRENIA IS a chronic, debilitating psychiatric illness affecting approximately 1% of the general population. Clinical manifestations appear during late adolescence to early adulthood. Characteristic features of schizophrenia include a mixture of positive (distortions of inferential thought, perception, language/communication, and behavioral monitoring) and negative (blunted affect, alogia, and avolition) symptoms.1 The temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, subiculum, and entorhinal cortex (EC), is a primary brain region associated with schizophrenia. The EC is integral to the function of the hippocampus, regulating the interaction of the hippocampus with other brain regions. Disruption of neuronal functioning in this region could affect information processing between the hippocampus and various cortical areas. Dysregulation of temporal lobe function is associated with symptoms that are similar to those found in individuals diagnosed as having schizophrenia. For example, results of functional neuroimaging studies and neuropsychological assessment of patients with schizophrenia report significant deficits in temporal lobe function.2 Results of most structural imaging studies in schizophrenia indicate a slight but significant reduction in hippocampal volume,3-11 although other studies failed to observe these differences.12-14 A relative paucity of neurodegeneration, cell death, or gliosis is observed in temporal lobe structures in schizophrenic brains.15,16