Gliosis in schizophrenia: a survey.

Increased gliosis has been previously described in schizophrenic brain. In this study, the degree of gliosis in schizophrenic and control brains was assessed quantitatively using an antibody to glial fibrillary acidic protein, immunocytochemical techniques, and a computed image analysis system. Twenty separate brain areas were assessed, and no significant differences were found between the schizophrenic and control groups. It seems unlikely that a specific pattern of pathologically significant gliosis is present in schizophrenic brains. These negative findings are of note because of previously reported structural differences in the temporal lobe in the schizophrenic group in this series.