Automated MRI parcellation study of regional volume and thickness of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
Prefrontal cortical dysfunction is considered to be critical in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. However, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies on the PFC have yielded inconsistent results because of various confounding factors.


METHODS
In this study we examined the volume and thickness abnormalities of the PFC in antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia patients (n = 51) in comparison with age-, sex-, and handedness-matched (as a group) healthy comparison subjects (n = 47) using a newly described automated MRI parcellation analysis.


RESULTS
Schizophrenia patients showed i) significant volume deficits in bilateral lateral orbitofrontal and left medial orbitofrontal cortices as well as bilateral pars triangularis; and ii) significant thickness deficit in bilateral medial orbitofrontal cortices. Negative syndrome score had a significant negative correlation with the thickness of the left medial orbitofrontal cortex.


CONCLUSIONS
The study findings emphasize that prefrontal deficit in schizophrenia is differential and involves primarily the regions essential for 'social cognition'.
Venkatasubramanian
G
G
Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India. gvs@nimhans.kar.nic.in
Jayakumar
P N
PN
Gangadhar
B N
BN
Keshavan
M S
MS
D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008432:Mathematical Computing; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012984:Software