Differentiation of first-episode schizophrenia patients from healthy controls using ROI-based multiple structural brain variables.
BACKGROUND
Brain morphometric measures from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have not been used to discriminate between first-episode patients with schizophrenia and healthy subjects.


METHODS
Magnetic resonance images were acquired from 34 (17 males, 17 females) first-episode schizophrenia patients and 48 (24 males, 24 females) age- and parental socio-economic status-matched healthy subjects. Twenty-nine regions of interest (ROI) were measured on 1-mm-thick coronal slices from the prefrontal and central parts of the brain. Linear discriminant function analysis was conducted using standardized z scores of the volumes of each ROI.


RESULTS
Discriminant function analysis with cross-validation procedures revealed that brain anatomical variables correctly classified 75.6% of male subjects and 82.9% of female subjects, respectively. The results of the volumetric comparisons of each ROI between patients and controls were generally consistent with those of the previous literature.


CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence of MRI-based successful classification between first-episode patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. The potential of these methods for early detection of schizophrenia should be further explored.
Takayanagi
Yoichiro
Y
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
Kawasaki
Yasuhiro
Y
Nakamura
Kazue
K
Takahashi
Tsutomu
T
Orikabe
Lina
L
Toyoda
Ema
E
Mozue
Yuriko
Y
Sato
Yoko
Y
Itokawa
Masanari
M
Yamasue
Hidenori
H
Kasai
Kiyoto
K
Kurachi
Masayoshi
M
Okazaki
Yuji
Y
Matsushita
Masaaki
M
Suzuki
Michio
M
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult