Investigation of a possible diencephalic pathology in schizophrenia.
Absence of the adhesio interthalamica (AI) in schizophrenic first episode patients is suggestive for another marker of early developmental neuropathologic changes. Moreover, findings suggest that schizophrenic patients without AI are characterised by more severe negative symptoms. The study aims to investigate the presence vs. absence of AI in relation to brain measurements and clinical features. Presence or absence of AI and volumetric brain measurements were assessed in 50 patients with schizophrenia and 50 matched controls. No differences in the incidence of AI were found between the groups. Patients without AI revealed a strong trend towards a larger third ventricle and significantly higher scores for negative symptoms. Interestingly, the subgroup of healthy controls without AI also had larger third ventricles. The absence of AI may represent another early developmental marker of cerebral malformation in a clinical subgroup of schizophrenic patients.
Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Nussbaumstr. 7, 80 339 Munich, Germany. emeisen@psy.med.uni-muenchen.de
Eva M
EM
Meisenzahl
Thomas
T
Frodl
Thomas
T
Zetzsche
Gerda
G
Leinsinger
Klaus
K
Maag
Ulrich
U
Hegerl
Klaus
K
Hahn
Hans-Jürgen
HJ
Möller
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D004027:Diencephalon / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020542:Third Ventricle / Q000002:abnormalities
D015415:Biomarkers