[Sexual dismorphism in schizophrenia].
Recent neuroanatomical studies imply a reversal of normal sexual dimorphism in schizophrenia in several corticolimbic structures, including the anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala. Prompted by these reports we have analyzed data of fifteen men and ten women with the diagnosis of schizophrenia who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during exposure to two emotion processing tasks. Overall both tests evoked much more extensive and intense cerebral activations in men than in women with schizophrenia. The pattern of obtained results differs significantly from what has been observed in the general population, thus giving support for the recent suggestion of "masculinization" of females and "feminization" of males with schizophrenia. More thorough investigation of a larger number of patients and healthy participants is currently on its way to substantiate this hypothesis.
Mendrek
Adrianna
A
Département de Psychiatrie, Université de Montréal, Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin.
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics