Progressive decrease of left superior temporal gyrus gray matter volume in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
Smaller temporal lobe cortical gray matter volumes, including the left superior temporal gyrus, have been reported in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of patients with chronic schizophrenia and, more recently, in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. However, it remains unknown whether there are progressive decreases in temporal lobe cortical gray matter volumes in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and whether similarly progressive volume decreases are present in patients with affective psychosis.


METHODS
High-spatial-resolution MRI scans at initial hospitalization and 1.5 years later were obtained from 13 patients with first-episode schizophrenia, 15 patients with first-episode affective psychosis (mainly manic), and 14 healthy comparison subjects. MRI volumes were calculated for gray matter of superior temporal gyrus and for the amygdala-hippocampal complex.


RESULTS
Patients with first-episode schizophrenia showed significant decreases in gray matter volume over time in the left superior temporal gyrus compared with patients with first-episode affective psychosis or healthy comparison subjects. This progressive decrease was more pronounced in the posterior portion of the left superior temporal gyrus (mean=9.6%) than in the anterior portions (mean=8.4%). No group differences in the rate of change over time were present in other regions.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings demonstrate a progressive volume reduction of the left posterior superior temporal gyrus gray matter in patients with first-episode schizophrenia but not in patients with first-episode affective psychosis.
Kasai
Kiyoto
K
Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Boston VA Healthcare System, Brockton Division, Harvard Medical School, Brockton, MA 02301, USA.
Shenton
Martha E
ME
Salisbury
Dean F
DF
Hirayasu
Yoshio
Y
Lee
Chang-Uk
CU
Ciszewski
Aleksandra A
AA
Yurgelun-Todd
Deborah
D
Kikinis
Ron
R
Jolesz
Ferenc A
FA
McCarley
Robert W
RW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology; D001284:Atrophy; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010343:Patient Admission; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012016:Reference Values; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology*