Cerebellar abnormalities in mental illness. A study on Purkinje cell density in schizophrenic men

Abstract

The linear Purkinje cell density in the cerebellar vermis was investigated in a small cohort of adult onset schizophrenic men with well-documented hippocampal abnormalities. There were no differences in comparison with age-matched controls. This negative finding indicates that vermian abnormalities undoubtedly seen in some schizophrenic patients may constitute a subsyndrome, possibly related to autistic disorders in which cerebellar abnormalities are well corroborated.