Smaller cerebellar vermis but not hemisphere volumes in patients with chronic schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
The authors previously reported that men with chronic schizophrenia had a smaller vermian subregion than did healthy men. In this study, they tested whether posterior superior vermis reduction would be seen in a larger group of schizophrenia patients, both male and female.


METHODS
Brain volumetric analyses were performed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 59 male and female patients with chronic schizophrenia and 57 male and female healthy comparison subjects.


RESULTS
The men as well as the women with schizophrenia had significantly smaller total vermis volume and smaller vermian subregions than did the healthy subjects. Total intracranial volume and cerebellar hemisphere volumes did not differ between schizophrenic and healthy subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings support the previous finding that in patients with chronic schizophrenia, there is a selective volume reduction of the cerebellar vermis within the cerebellum.
Okugawa
Gaku
G
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Human Brain Infomatics Center (HUBIN), Karolinska Institute and Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Sedvall
Göran C
GC
Agartz
Ingrid
I
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*