title: Brain anatomic magnetic resonance imaging in childhood-onset schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early-onset schizophrenia (first psychotic symptoms by age 12 years) has been the subject of a small number of studies, and its biological continuity with later-onset disorder has not been established. In this study quantitative anatomic brain magnetic resonance images of children and adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia were compared with those of matched controls. Brain abnormalities in childhood-onset schizophrenia were examined in relation to those reported for later-onset schizophrenics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anatomic brain magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained for 21 patients (mean +/- SD age, 14.6 +/- 2.1 years; range, 10 to 18 years) with childhood-onset schizophrenia (13 males, eight females) and 33 age-, sex-, height-, and weight-matched normal controls. Quantitative measurements were obtained for the cerebrum, anterior frontal region, lateral ventricles, thalamus, caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total cerebral volume and midsagittal thalamic area were smaller in the patients (analysis of variance, P = .002, and analysis of covariance, P = .03, respectively); the caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus were larger in the patients (analysis of covariance, P = .05, P = .007, and P < .001, respectively); and the lateral ventricles tended to be larger in the patients (analysis of covariance, P = .06). Globus pallidus enlargement correlated with neuroleptic exposure and with age of onset of psychosis. The magnitude of abnormalities compared with controls was similar to that reported in adult studies, although there was a trend toward relatively smaller cerebral volumes for the childhood-onset group compared with controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Brain anatomic abnormalities in childhood-onset schizophrenia are similar to those reported for adult populations, indicating overall continuity between these rare childhood cases and the adult schizophrenia populations.
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Frazier
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Giedd
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hamburger
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Albus
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kaysen
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Vaituzis
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rajapakse
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lenane
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Breier
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rapoport
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002648:Child; D005917:Globus Pallidus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011699:Putamen / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012561:Schizophrenia, Childhood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000033:anatomy & histology