Cerebral asymmetry in patients with schizophrenia: a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the differences in gray- and white-matter asymmetry between schizophrenia patients and normal subjects.


METHODS
Forty-eight right-handed patients with chronic schizophrenia (24 males and 24 females) and 48 right-handed age- and sex-matched healthy controls (24 males and 24 females) were included in this study. The effects of diagnosis on gray-matter volume asymmetry and white-matter fractional anisotropy (FA) asymmetry were evaluated with use of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and voxel-based analysis of FA maps derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), respectively.


RESULTS
The mean gray- and white-matter volumes were significantly smaller in the schizophrenia group than in the control group. The voxel-based morphometry (VBM) showed no significant effect of diagnosis on gray-matter volume asymmetry. The voxel-based analysis of DTI also showed no significant effect of diagnosis on white-matter FA asymmetry.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results of voxel-based analyses showed no significant differences in either gray-matter volume asymmetry or white-matter FA asymmetry between schizophrenia patients and normal subjects.
Takao
Hidemasa
H
Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. takaoh-tky@umin.ac.jp
Abe
Osamu
O
Yamasue
Hidenori
H
Aoki
Shigeki
S
Kasai
Kiyoto
K
Ohtomo
Kuni
K
D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D054022:Cerebrum / Q000473:pathology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity