Volumetric abnormalities in connectivity-based subregions of the thalamus in patients with chronic schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
The thalamus, which consists of multiple subnuclei, has been of particular interest in the study of schizophrenia. This study aimed to identify abnormalities in the connectivity-based subregions of the thalamus in patients with schizophrenia.


METHODS
Thalamic volume was measured by a manual tracing on superimposed images of T1-weighted and diffusion tensor images in 30 patients with schizophrenia and 22 normal volunteers. Cortical regional volumes automatically measured by a surface-based approach and thalamic subregional volumes measured by a connectivity-based technique were compared between the two groups and their correlations between the connected regions were calculated in each group.


RESULTS
Volume reduction was observed in the bilateral orbitofrontal cortices and the left cingulate gyrus on the cortical side, whereas in subregions connected to the right orbitofrontal cortex and bilateral parietal cortices on the thalamic side. Significant volumetric correlations were identified between the right dorsal prefrontal cortex and its related thalamic subregion and between the left parietal cortex and its related thalamic subregion only in the normal group.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that patients with schizophrenia have a structural deficit in the corticothalamic systems, especially in the orbitofrontal-thalamic system. Our findings may present evidence of corticothalamic connection problems in schizophrenia.
Kim
Jae-Jin
JJ
Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Kim
Dae-Jin
DJ
Kim
Tae-Gyun
TG
Seok
Jeong-Ho
JH
Chun
Ji Won
JW
Oh
Maeng-Keun
MK
Park
Hae-Jeong
HJ
D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology*