The pathomorphology of schizophrenia and mood disorders: similarities and differences

• Published in: Schizophrenia research Vol. 39; no. 2; pp. 141 - 148
• Main Authors: Baumann, Bruno, Bogerts, Bernhard
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 29.09.1999; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Affective Symptoms - pathology; Basal Ganglia - pathology; Biological and medical sciences; Bipolar Disorder - pathology; Brain - pathology; Cerebral Cortex - pathology; Humans; Limbic System - pathology; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Mood disorder; Mood disorders; MRI; Neural Pathways - injuries; Neural Pathways - pathology; Pathomorphology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - pathology; Structural abnormality; Mood disorder; Pathomorphology; Schizophrenia; CT; Structural abnormality; MRI; Human; Volumetric analysis; Radiodiagnosis; Postmortem; Central nervous system; Histology; Review; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Psychosis; Morphological analysis; Medical imagery; Computerized axial tomography; Comparative study; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0920-9964; 1573-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/S0920-9964(99)00113-9

In this article, post-mortem neurohistological and structural imaging studies of schizophrenia and mood disorders are briefly reviewed. In contrast to the large number of post-mortem studies on schizophrenia published during the last 20 years, very few histological studies of affective disorders are available. After commenting on CT and MRI studies, as well as on neuropathological findings on whole-brain size, cortex, frontal and temporal lobes, limbic system, basal ganglia, thalamus, brain stem, and cortical asymmetry, it is concluded that despite a broad overlap in structural findings in the so-called endogenous psychoses, heteromodal association cortex, limbic system, and structural asymmetry are more affected in schizophrenia, while subtle structural abnormalities in the basal ganglia, especially in the nucleus accumbens and in hypothalamic areas, might play a crucial role in mood disorders.