Structural brain abnormalities in early onset first-episode psychosis.
BACKGROUND
Brain morphometry in children and adolescents with first-episode psychosis offer a unique opportunity for pathogenetic investigations.


METHODS
We compared high-resolution 3D T1-weighted magnetic resonance images of the brain in 29 patients (schizophrenia, schizotypal disorder, delusional disorder or other non-organic psychosis), aged 10-18 to those of 29 matched controls, using optimized voxel-based morphometry.


RESULTS
Psychotic patients had frontal white matter abnormalities, but expected (regional) gray matter reductions were not observed. Post hoc analyses revealed that schizophrenia patients (n = 15) had significantly larger lateral ventricles as compared to controls. Duration and dose of antipsychotics correlated negatively with global gray matter volume in minimally medicated patients (n = 18).


CONCLUSIONS
Findings of white matter changes and enlarged lateral ventricles already at illness onset in young schizophrenia spectrum patients, suggests aberrant neurodevelopmental processes in the pathogenesis of these disorders. Gray matter volume changes, however, appear not to be a key feature in early onset first-episode psychosis.
Pagsberg
A K
AK
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark. kp04@bbh.hosp.dk
Baaré
W F C
WF
Raabjerg Christensen
A M
AM
Fagerlund
B
B
Hansen
M-B
MB
Labianca
J
J
Krabbe
K
K
Aarkrog
T
T
Paulson
O B
OB
Hemmingsen
R P
RP
D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007360:Intelligence; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000473:pathology*