title: [Diffusion tensor imaging findings in first-episode and chronic schizophrenics].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the integrity of white matters in first-episode and chronic schizophrenics.
  
  
  METHODS
  For this study, 39 first-episode and 38 chronic schizophrenics, 69 healthy controls (age, gender and years of received education no significantly different from those of the patients) underwent diffusion weighted images with a single-shot echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence aligned to the straight axial plane. The fractional anisotropy (FA) images of three groups underwent one-way ANOVA with the methods of voxel-based morphometric (VBM) analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) There were three brain regions where the FA values of white matter were different among three groups: right caudate nucleus (MNI: 20, 12, 14; cluster = 432 voxels; FA value: 0.36 ± 0.18 vs 0.35 ± 0.24 vs 0.38 ± 0.17), left insula (MNI: -32, 18, 2; cluster = 204 voxels; FA value: 0.35 ± 0.31 vs 0.33 ± 0.24 vs 0.36 ± 0.21) and right anterior cingulate (MNI: 16, 36, 12; cluster = 132 voxels; FA value: 0.35 ± 0.29 vs 0.34 ± 0.31 vs 0.37 ± 0.25). (2) The mean FA values of the three brain regions of two patients groups decreased versus those of healthy controls (P < 0.05). (3) The mean FA values of left insular region in chronic patients decreased versus those of the first-episode patients (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reduced integrity of white matter may play an etiological role in schizophrenia and the changes are probably progressive.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Mental Health, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
authors.forename: Qin-Ling
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Zhuang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Xiao-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jin-Bei
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lei-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Liang-Rong
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Jing-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult