Automated gray level index measurements reveal only minor cytoarchitectonic changes of Brodmann area 9 in schizophrenia

Using an automatized gray level index (GLI) method, we recently found cytoarchitectonic abnormalities in schizophrenia in Brodmann area 10 (BA10) [Vogeley, K., Tepest, R., Schneider-Axmann, T., Hutte, H., Zilles, K., Honer, W.G., Falkai, P., 2003. Automated image analysis of disturbed cytoarchitecture in Brodmann area 10 in schizophrenia, Schizophrenia Research 62, 133–140]. As another potential key region involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, we have now investigated BA9 in the same sample consisting of 20 schizophrenic cases and 20 controls. The GLI value represents the area-percentage covered by perikarya in measuring fields of microscopic images. BA9 was analyzed with respect to the factors diagnosis and gender for six different compartments approximately corresponding to the neocortical layers. The main result in BA9 was a significant interaction of diagnosis and gender for GLI in layers IV and V on the left side. Subsequent analyses separately performed concerning gender revealed a significant GLI increase in layer V on the left side in male patients compared with controls. However, after an adjustment of error probabilities for multiple testing, differences did not reach significance. No GLI difference was observed in the sample between diagnostic groups for females and between the diagnostic groups in general. Comparisons with our BA10 results suggest that cytoarchitectural changes relevant to schizophrenia appear different in various Brodmann areas. Since increases in GLI were found only in selected layers (V and VI) of BA9, these findings do not support a generalized neuropil reduction across all cortical layers.