Cerebral tissue alterations and daily life stress experience in psychosis.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether the total volumes of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), cerebral grey matter and white matter were correlated with the experience of environmental stress in daily life situations.


METHODS
Twenty-seven patients with psychosis underwent magnetic resonance imaging scanning and a random time-sampling self-assessment technique (Experience Sampling Method) to determine subjective daily life stress experiences. Total cerebral tissue volumes were derived from an automated segmentation procedure.


RESULTS
CSF volume was positively associated with daily life event-related stress (beta=0.016, P=0.002), while the association with total white matter was negative (beta=-0.013, P=0.005). The effects were independent of each other and of total cerebral volume and other confounders. No large or significant association was found with grey matter volume.


CONCLUSIONS
Subjective stress experience in daily life is associated with increased CSF and reduced white matter volumes in patients with psychosis, suggesting functional significance of these cerebral measures.
Marcelis
M
M
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, azM/Mondriaan/Riagg/RIBW/Vijverdal Academic Centre, European Graduate School of Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Myin-Germeys
I
I
Suckling
J
J
Woodruff
P
P
Hofman
P
P
Bullmore
E
E
Delespaul
P
P
van Os
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*