Focal and global brain measurements in siblings of patients with schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
It remains unclear whether structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia are caused by genetic and/or disease-related factors. Structural brain abnormalities have been found in nonpsychotic first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia, but results are inconclusive. This large magnetic resonance imaging study examined brain structures in patients with schizophrenia, their nonpsychotic siblings, and healthy control subjects using global and focal brain measurements.


METHODS
From 155 patients with schizophrenia, their 186 nonpsychotic siblings, and 122 healthy controls (including 25 sibling pairs), whole-brain scans were obtained. Segmentations of total brain, gray matter (GM), and white matter of the cerebrum, lateral and third ventricle, and cerebellum volumes were obtained. For each subject, measures of cortical thickness and GM density maps were estimated. Group differences in volumes, cortical thickness, and GM density were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling, hence controlling for familial dependency of the data.


RESULTS
Patients with schizophrenia, but not their nonpsychotic siblings, showed volumetric differences, cortical thinning, and reduced GM density as compared with control subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
This study did not reveal structural brain abnormalities in nonpsychotic siblings of patients with schizophrenia compared with healthy control subjects using multiple imaging methods. Therefore, the structural brain abnormalities observed in patients with schizophrenia are for the largest part explained by disease-related factors.
Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands. h.b.m.boos@umcutrecht.nl
Heleen B M
HB
Boos
Wiepke
W
Cahn
Neeltje E M
NE
van Haren
Eske M
EM
Derks
Rachel M
RM
Brouwer
Hugo G
HG
Schnack
Hilleke E
HE
Hulshoff Pol
René S
RS
Kahn
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D035781:Siblings
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