White matter integrity of the whole brain is disrupted in first-episode schizophrenia.
Diffusion tensor imaging studies in schizophrenia have demonstrated lower diffusion anisotropy within white matter that provides information about brain white matter integrity. We have examined whether white matter is abnormal in first-episode schizophrenia by using diffusion tensor imaging. Twenty-one schizophrenic patients and healthy controls underwent diffusion tensor imaging scans that analyzed by using a rigorous voxel-based approach. We found that fractional anisotropy in white matter of the patients was lower than that in controls at the cerebral peduncle, frontal regions, inferior temporal gyrus, medial parietal lobes, hippocampal gyrus, insula, right anterior cingulum bundle and right corona radiata. These results suggested that white matter integrity of the whole brain was disrupted in early illness onset of schizophrenia.
Hao
Yihui
Y
The Institute of Mental Health, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, PR China.
Liu
Zhening
Z
Jiang
Tianzi
T
Gong
Gaolang
G
Liu
Haihong
H
Tan
Lihua
L
Kuang
Fan
F
Xu
Lin
L
Yi
Yanhong
Y
Zhang
Zishu
Z
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*