Adhesio interthalamica in male patients with schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
The authors investigated whether absence of the adhesio interthalamica in patients with schizophrenia constitutes a marker of early developmental neuropathological changes.


METHODS
Thirty male patients with schizophrenia and 30 healthy male subjects were recruited for study. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed, and the presence or absence of the adhesio interthalamica was determined for each subject. The length and volume of the third ventricle were also measured.


RESULTS
No differences in the presence or absence of the adhesio interthalamica were found between patients with schizophrenia and normal comparison subjects. Patients without the adhesio interthalamica had significantly higher scores for negative symptoms than patients with the adhesio interthalamica. There was no correlation between absence of the adhesio interthalamica and length and volume of the third ventricle in either patients or comparison subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that patients with schizophrenia who do not have the adhesio interthalamica are characterized by more severe negative symptoms.
Meisenzahl
E M
EM
Department of Psychiatry and Radiology, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany. emeisen@psy.med.uni-muenchen.de
Frodl
T
T
Zetzsche
T
T
Leinsinger
G
G
Heiss
D
D
Maag
K
K
Hegerl
U
U
Hahn
K
K
Möller
H J
HJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013788:Thalamus / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology