Paracingulate sulcus morphology in men with early-onset schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
Cingulate dysfunction has been reported in schizophrenia. Although the paracingulate sulcus (PCS) is known to be asymmetric in healthy people, little information is available about its morphology in schizophrenia.


OBJECTIVE
To search for morphological anomalies of the PCS in men with early-onset schizophrenia.


METHODS
The PCS was examined in magnetic resonance images of the brains of men with schizophrenia and 100 healthy men.


RESULTS
A significant asymmetry was found in the brains of healthy volunteers, whose sulci were more frequent and more marked in the left hemisphere. In contrast, the sulcus was as frequent in the right as in the left hemisphere in the patient group. Moreover, patients displayed significantly more rightward asymmetry, and overall less-asymmetrical patterns than the comparison group.


CONCLUSIONS
Since the PCS has developed at 36 weeks of gestation, these findings suggest an impaired maturation of the cingulate region during the third trimester.
Le Provost
Jean-Bernard
JB
NSERM - CEA, Frédéric Joliot Hospital Department, Orsay, France.
Bartres-Faz
David
D
Paillere-Martinot
Marie-Laure
ML
Artiges
Eric
E
Pappata
Sabina
S
Recasens
Christophe
C
Perez-Gomez
Mercedes
M
Bernardo
Miquel
M
Baeza
Imma
I
Bayle
Frank
F
Martinot
Jean-Luc
JL
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*