Background: Multiple lines of evidence indicate that the prefrontal cortex is a site of
dysfunction in schizophrenia. However, the apparent absence of gross structural
abnormalities in this area suggests that the pathophysiological characteristics of
schizophrenia may involve more subtle disturbances in prefrontal cortical circuitry, such as
alterations in synaptic connectivity and transmission. In this study, immunoreactivity for
synaptophysin, an integral membrane protein of small synaptic vesicles, was used to assess …