[Corpus callosum and middle cerebellar peduncles in schizophrenic patients: a diffusion tensor imaging study upon the initial onset].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the value of diffusion tenser image (DTI) in identifying subtle abnormalities in the corpus callosum and bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles in patients with the initial onset of schizophrenia.


METHODS
Twenty patients with the first episode of schizophrenia and 18 healthy subjects were examined by DTI. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and averaged diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured in the bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles, genu and splenium of the corpus callosum. Independent-sample t test was used to compare the value of FA and ADC between the two groups.


RESULTS
The FA of the bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles was significantly lower in the schizophrenic patients than in the healthy subjects (P<0.05), but that in the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum were comparable between the two groups (P>0.05). The ADC values showed no significant difference in all the above regions between the two groups (P>0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Subtle abnormal changes occur in the cerebrum-cerebellumto circuit in schizophrenic patients, and may trigger the onset of the symptoms in the early stages of schizophrenia.
Zou
Yan
Y
Department of Radiology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China. zouy927@126.com
Hu
Bing
B
Tang
Wen-Jie
WJ
Kang
Zhuang
Z
D000328:Adult; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology*; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*