The rat neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) is a reliable neurodevelopmental animal model of schizophrenia, in which an incorrect maturation of medial pre-frontal cortex may possibly account for the appearance of rat behavioral alterations after puberty. In the present study, morphometric analyses have been carried out in order to ascertain the presence of possible morphological alterations in the pre-limbic cortex of NVHL rats. Fractionator stereological analyses indicated that pre-limbic cortex volume is reduced in this animal model, without a significant reduction of the total number of NeuN-labeled neurons. NVHL also affected dendrite and spine density of Golgi-Cox stained pyramidal neurons in this brain area. Furthermore, ultra-microscopy analyses highlighted that the density of asymmetric synapses is reduced in the pre-limbic cortex of lesioned rats when compared with sham rats. The results of this study are in line with clinical brain imaging data indicating that a shrinkage of frontal cortex may occur in schizophrenia. Furthermore, the reduced density of asymmetric synapses is in agreement with a possible impairment of pre-frontal cortex excitatory input in schizophrenia. FIB-SEM 3D-reconstructions are in progress to evaluate possible alterations of synaptic contacts and volumes.
CYTO-ARCHITECTURE OF PRE-LIMBIC CORTEX IN AN ANIMAL MODEL OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
Gianluca Casu;Maria Antonietta Casu;Stefania Marcello;Antonio Pilleri;Giorgio Marchese
2013
Abstract
The rat neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) is a reliable neurodevelopmental animal model of schizophrenia, in which an incorrect maturation of medial pre-frontal cortex may possibly account for the appearance of rat behavioral alterations after puberty. In the present study, morphometric analyses have been carried out in order to ascertain the presence of possible morphological alterations in the pre-limbic cortex of NVHL rats. Fractionator stereological analyses indicated that pre-limbic cortex volume is reduced in this animal model, without a significant reduction of the total number of NeuN-labeled neurons. NVHL also affected dendrite and spine density of Golgi-Cox stained pyramidal neurons in this brain area. Furthermore, ultra-microscopy analyses highlighted that the density of asymmetric synapses is reduced in the pre-limbic cortex of lesioned rats when compared with sham rats. The results of this study are in line with clinical brain imaging data indicating that a shrinkage of frontal cortex may occur in schizophrenia. Furthermore, the reduced density of asymmetric synapses is in agreement with a possible impairment of pre-frontal cortex excitatory input in schizophrenia. FIB-SEM 3D-reconstructions are in progress to evaluate possible alterations of synaptic contacts and volumes.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
