Heckers S, Heinsen H, Heinsen Y C, Beckmann H
Morphological Brain Research, University of Würzburg, Federal Republic of Germany.
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1990 Nov;47(11):1016-22. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1990.01810230032006.
Volume reduction of limbic structures in the medial temporal lobe of schizophrenics has been described in postmortem analyses of two brain collections. A total of 30 hemispheres of schizophrenics and 30 hemispheres of controls taken from a new collection of brains and closely matched for sex and age were examined. We applied computer-assisted stereologic methods to serial coronal sections of complete hemispheres. Volumetric measurement of amygdala, hippocampal formation, and lateral ventricle was performed. We found no significant volume reduction of amygdala and hippocampal formation in schizophrenics. Bilateral enlargement of the lateral ventricle was found in the schizophrenic group, but mean differences were not significant, and no correlation with limbic structure volumes was found. We postulate methodologic issues of postmortem volumetric measurements and matching of samples as possible reasons for the failure to replicate previous findings.
在对两组脑标本进行的尸检分析中，均发现精神分裂症患者内侧颞叶边缘结构体积减小。我们从一组新的脑标本中选取了30个精神分裂症患者的脑半球和30个对照者的脑半球，这些脑标本在性别和年龄上进行了严格匹配。我们运用计算机辅助立体学方法对整个脑半球的连续冠状切片进行分析，对杏仁核、海马结构和侧脑室进行体积测量。我们发现精神分裂症患者的杏仁核和海马结构体积没有显著减小。在精神分裂症组中发现双侧侧脑室扩大，但平均差异不显著，且与边缘结构体积无相关性。我们推测，尸检体积测量和样本匹配方面的方法学问题可能是未能重复先前研究结果的原因。
