“researchers from the University of Copenhagen applied a new method to analyze neurons one by one in order to reveal hitherto unobtainable information about them.”

The researchers specifically studied post mortem brain tissue from adult patients with schizophrenia using control samples from non-schizophrenic brains.

"The human brain has very heterogenous tissue with hundreds of neuron types. We identified exactly those neurons that are most affected by schizophrenia, the position of these neurons in the human brain and what is wrong with these neurons. We see the genes that changed their expression and damaged the overall neuronal signaling, and even how potential neuronal networks are impaired," explains Konstantin Khodosevich

“The researchers discovered a network of neurons most affected by schizophrenia. In particular, they show that it is the upper layers of the prefrontal cortex, the region of the cortex which is involved in higher cognitive brain functions such as learning and memory and general cognition.”

“Our results suggest that for treatment of schizophrenia we should not target one type of neurons, but rather their overall network. Impacting this network or cell ensemble could help restore the impaired function of these neurons," says Konstantin Khodosevich.