Synapse formation and regression in the cortex during adolescence and in schizophrenia.

During adolescence, about 30% of the synapses formed during childhood in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPC) are lost; in patients with schizophrenia, the synapse loss is about 60%. Studies of synapse loss in the neuromuscular junction have provided insights into the molecular basis of synapse formation and regression, thereby providing a paradigm for investigations of synapse loss in the DLPC. Research into some of these molecules in the DLPC has shown that they are crucial to synapse formation and regression. Further research in this field could examine when synapse loss in the DLPC of patients with schizophrenia occurs, and further elucidate how these molecules are involved in the development of schizophrenia.