Neuropathological Studies of Schizophrenia: A Selective Review

Over the past 20 years, there has been a relatively quiet but persistent effort to investigate anatomical neuropathology in schizophrenia. This effort has involved post-mortem histopathology using novel preparation procedures, pneumoencephalography, and computed tomography. The bulk of this research is critically reviewed here. The evidence presented suggests that the brains of schizophrenic patients frequently contain abnormalities. The limbic region is especially likely to show pathological changes. However, the changes are variable and nonspecific. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of our limited knowledge of the clinical manifestations of subtle limbic pathology. It is concluded that pathology of limbic regions is associated with schizophrenia and that the more gross the pathology, the more neurologically impaired are the patients.