Scientists have revealed surprising parallels between aging and schizophrenia. There seem to be similar patterns of gene activity in the brains of people who are aging, and in those with schizophrenia. The same mechanisms may underlie the cognitive disruptions seen in older adults and people with schizophrenia. The findings have been reported in Nature.
In this work, the researchers analyzed gene expression at the single-cell level in post-mortem brain samples from 94 people with schizophrenia and 97 unaffected individuals. This gene activity was altered in two types of cells found in the brain, both neurons and astrocytes. In all, 1.2 million cells from were analyzed. This showed that in neurons, expression changed in genes that are associated with portions of synapses, the space where neurons meet and communicate; and in astrocytes, in genes that are related to synaptic function.
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