To understand:
This talk will consider the synaptic hypothesis of schizophrenia, reviewing post-mortem evidence, and the
recent evidence for abnormal synaptic pruning in neurons from patients. It will then review new in vivo
evidence for lower synaptic protein levels in patients. It will then consider the implications for developing
new treatments beyond D2 blockers.
Evidence of lower synaptic vesicle density in schizophrenia.
Radhakrishnan R, Skosnik PD, Ranganathan M, Naganawa M, Toyonaga T, Finnema S, Hillmer AT, Esterlis I,
Huang Y, Nabulsi N, Carson RE, D'Souza DC.
Mol Psychiatry. 2021 Dec;26(12):7690-7698.
Synaptic density marker SV2A is reduced in schizophrenia patients and unaffected by antipsychotics in rats.
Onwordi EC, Halff EF, Whitehurst T, Mansur A, Cotel MC, Wells L, Creeney H, Bonsall D, Rogdaki M, Shatalina
E, Reis Marques T, Rabiner EA, Gunn RN, Natesan S, Vernon AC, Howes OD.
Nature Commun. 2020 Jan 14;11(1):246.