title: The disrupted connection between cerebral hemispheres in schizophrenia patients: a diffusion tensor imaging study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In schizophrenia, the disruption of the communication between two brain hemispheres has not been shown clearly in the anatomical aspect despite other studies with different modalities suggested so. In this study, the structural integrity and the variables affecting the structural integrity of the corpus callosum, which is the main connection between two hemispheres, was investigated via diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were evaluated by SCID-I and symptoms of the patients were assessed with PANSS. DT images of 25 schizophrenia patients and 17 healthy volunteers were acquired via 1.5 T MR. Fractioned Anisotropy (FA) values of two groups, measured on the DT images, were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that fractioned anisotropy (FA) values were lower in the genu of the patients than the healthy controls; however, there was no difference between the FA values of the patients and the controls in the splenium. Moreover, a significant negative correlation between the splenium FA values and the antipsychotic medication doses; and a trend level negative correlation of splenium FA and PANSS scores were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Corpus callosum is the most important structure that connects two frontal lobes. The hypothesis that posits the fundamental role of the disconnection of frontal lobes in schizophrenia is supported by the findings of this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Ege Univ., İzmir.
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kitiş
authors.forename: M Cağdaş
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Eker
authors.forename: Burçak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zengin
authors.forename: Dinçer Aydın
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Akyılmaz
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yalvaç
authors.forename: Halil Ibrahim
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Damla
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Işman Haznedaroğlu
authors.forename: Mustafa Melih
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bilgi
authors.forename: Ali Saffet
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Gönül
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D054022:Cerebrum / Q000473:pathology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*