Mid-sagittal anatomy in late-onset schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
Of the midline brain structures, abnormalities have been demonstrated in the corpus callosum and cerebellum in young schizophrenic patients. Whether similar abnormalities are also present in late-onset schizophrenia (LOS) is not known.


METHODS
The mid-sagittal cross-sectional areas of brain regions, in particular the corpus callosum and cerebellum, on magnetic resonance imaging were examined in a group of patients with late-onset schizophrenia (N = 25) and contrasted with two comparison groups - early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) (N = 24) and healthy volunteers (NC) (N = 30) matched for age and gender.


RESULTS
While the mean corpus callosum area in the LOS group was smaller than in the EOS (by 10.2%) and NC (by 6.2%) groups, the three groups did not differ statistically in the corpus callosum area or the corpus callosum to cerebrum ratios. The cross-sectional cerebellar areas or the cerebellum: cerebrum ratios also did not differ across the groups. The brainstem was smaller in the schizophrenic groups because of smaller cross-sectional areas of the pons, a statistically significant difference which could not be accounted for by any gross lesions on visual inspection.


CONCLUSIONS
We found no abnormality in the mid-sagittal area of the corpus callosum and cerebellum in our early- or late-onset schizophrenia subjects. The significance of the finding of a smaller pontine cross-sectional area is unclear and speculation on it awaits independent replication using a volumetric measure.
Sachdev
P S
PS
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Neuropsychiatric Institute and the Academic Department of Psychogeriatrics, The Prince Henry Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
Brodaty
H
H
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000473:pathology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology*; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*