Reduced Density of Cholinergic Interneurons in the Ventral Striatum in Schizophrenia: An In Situ Hybridization Study

Background The role of the striatum in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia is not understood. In a previous postmortem study, we found a reduction in the density of striatal interneurons that stain immunohistochemically for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in schizophrenia. Methods To determine whether this finding represents a specific alteration in ChAT gene expression, we used in situ hybridization to study the striatum of 11 control and 9 schizophrenic subjects with oligonucleotide probes complementary to human ChAT mRNA, preprosomatostatin (PPS) mRNA, and β-actin mRNA. Densities of ChAT mRNA-positive neurons, ChAT mRNA expression per neuron, PPS mRNA-positive neurons, and β-actin mRNA expression levels were measured. Results There were no significant differences between the two groups in densities of PPS mRNA-positive neurons and levels of β-actin mRNA expression throughout the striatum, or in densities of ChAT mRNA-positive neurons in the caudate nucleus or putamen. However, in the ventral striatum, the mean density of ChAT mRNA-positive neurons was reduced to 26% of control levels in the schizophrenic group. Conclusions There is a reduction in number or function of the cholinergic interneurons of the ventral striatum in schizophrenia.