Cortical thinning in cingulate and occipital cortices in first episode schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
Postmortem studies examining discrete regions show reduced cortical thickness in schizophrenia. Computational image analysis methods allow spatially detailed cortical thickness measurements across the entire cortex in 3D, but have not addressed thickness changes in cingulate or other cortices bordering the medial walls of the cerebral hemispheres in first episode schizophrenia.


METHODS
Magnetic resonance images and cortical pattern matching methods were used to compare gray matter thickness, measured at sub-voxel resolution at thousands of spatially equivalent locations on the medial hemispheric surfaces, between 72 (51m/21f) first episode schizophrenia patients and 78 (37m/41f) healthy controls similar in age. Group differences were mapped in 3D, and their overall significance was confirmed by permutation testing.


RESULTS
Patients with little or no prior antipsychotic medication treatment showed significant cortical thinning within cingulate, occipital and frontopolar cortices with no significant increases in any cortical location. Regional sex differences were observed with pronounced thinning in the left paracentral lobule and right posterior cingulate in male and female patients respectively compared to same sex controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Cortical thinning may correspond to cytoarchitectural and neurochemical abnormalities observed in similar anatomic locations and may underlie systems-wise disturbances that include heteromodal association cortices, where cortical thinning has been previously observed in first episode schizophrenia.
Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Geffen School of Medicine at University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Katherine L
KL
Narr
Arthur W
AW
Toga
Philip
P
Szeszko
Paul M
PM
Thompson
Roger P
RP
Woods
Delbert
D
Robinson
Serge
S
Sevy
YungPing
Y
Wang
Karen
K
Schrock
Robert M
RM
Bilder
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D012737:Sex Factors
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents