Glial cells enhance the function of neurons in the brain.

Glial cells are reduced in people with schizophrenia, affecting overall brain function.

Therapies targeting glial cells in schizophrenia are promising but require more research.

Anyone living with schizophrenia understands the true limitations of current treatment options. Antipsychotics remain the single leading treatment for the disorder, and they are riddled with undesirable side effects. Weight gain, tardive dyskinesia, and excessive drowsiness are a few.

Much research is devoted to expanding the range of medication options, and few academics have pursued other avenues. However, there is a possibility that treatment for schizophrenia can be approached through cellular methods if long-term research validates early signs of hope.

In the brain, many different cells and systems work together to promote function. For example, neurons, specialized cells that are central to brain structure, are important for transferring information to other cells.

Other cells, such as glial cells, support the function of neurons. Neuroscience has often painted glial cells as the glue that holds neurons together, but glial cells can also be helpful in promoting neuronal health, enhancing neuronal immune response, among other neuronal-enhancing functions.

Glial Cells Are Different in People With Schizophrenia

The brains of people with schizophrenia are biologically different. Not only do they have alterations in their dopaminergic functions (a neurotransmitter related to reward, sleep regulation, and more), but evidence has shown that there are fewer glial cells in the brains of people with schizophrenia.

Examinations of postmortem subjects have observed that glial cells are seen to have a significant reduction in presence in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), responsible for healthy cognitive skills. Without the different types of glial cells, neuronal health can decline, and we know this from the apparent cognitive impairments in those with schizophrenia. Thus, overall brain function can decline.

Some subcategories of glial cells are responsible for different things. One subset, called oligodendrocytes, is responsible for ensuring that information is transmitted properly by providing a protective shield between parts of neurons. In patients with schizophrenia, this protective shield is significantly reduced, which indicates reduced network connectivity. Schizophrenia, as a disorder, is defined by this very trait—poor integration between cells and brain regions that are often found in these patients.

Brain changes in patients with schizophrenia are thought to come from the disorder itself or medications. However, from animal studies, researchers have concluded that antipsychotics are not a likely factor in decreasing glial cells. Sometimes they can actually enhance their functioning.

With this information, you may be wondering, what could help glial cells? Suggestions the researchers have are: increase exercise, antidepressants, natural products used on the body, and related tasks to enhance glial cell functioning and sustainability.

There might be a long time before we see therapeutic chemical treatments that specifically target glial cells, but thankfully, there are other things we can do in the meantime.

Bernstein, H.G., Nussbaumer, M., Vasilevska, V. et al. Glial cell deficits are a key feature of schizophrenia: implications for neuronal circuit maintenance and histological differentiation from classical neurodegeneration. Mol Psychiatry 30, 1102–1116 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02861-6

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