Ultrastructural abnormalities of astrocytes in the hippocampus in schizophrenia and duration of illness: a postortem morphometric study.

There is a lot of evidence of astrocytic dysfunction in schizophrenia. We performed an electron microscopic morphometric study of astrocytes in the CA3 hippocampal region in 19 cases of schizophrenia and 16 normal controls. No significant group differences were found in cell size, volume fraction (Vv) and area density (Na) of mitochondria and lipofuscin granules. Young control subjects (<50 years old) had significantly lower area of cell, nucleus and cytoplasm and higher Vv and Na of mitochondria than old controls (>50 years old), and young and old schizophrenic cases. No significant differences between young and old schizophrenic subgroups were found. Vv and Na of mitochondria correlated negatively (r=-0.66, r=-0.72, P<0.01) and Vv of lipofuscin granules correlated positively (r=0.72, P=0.001) with duration of illness. These parameters did not correlate with age in controls and in schizophrenic subjects. Both Vv and Na of mitochondria were significantly lower in the subgroup of cases with duration of disease of>21 years. than in the control group and in the subgroup of cases with duration of illness of<21 years (P<0.01). The data suggest progressive disturbances of astrocyte function due to the deficit of mitochondria in schizophrenia.