title: Reduced gray to white matter tissue intensity contrast in schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While numerous structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies revealed changes of brain volume or density, cortical thickness and fibre integrity in schizophrenia, the effect of tissue alterations on the contrast properties of neural structures has so far remained mostly unexplored.
  
  
  METHODS
  Whole brain high-resolution MRI at 3 Tesla was used to investigate tissue contrast and cortical thickness in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients showed significantly decreased gray to white matter contrast in large portions throughout the cortical mantle with preponderance in inferior, middle, superior and medial temporal areas as well as in lateral and medial frontal regions. The extent of these intensity contrast changes exceeded the extent of cortical thinning. Further, contrast changes remained significant after controlling for cortical thickness measurements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings clearly emphasize the presence of schizophrenia related brain tissue changes that alter the imaging properties of brain structures. Intensity contrast measurements might not only serve as a highly sensitive metric but also as a potential indicator of a distinct pathological process that might be independent from volume or thickness alterations.
authors.affiliation: Structural Neuroimaging Group, Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herold
authors.forename: Bram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stieltjes
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Essig
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Seidl
authors.forename: Robert Christian
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wüstenberg
authors.forename: Marc Montgomery
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lässer
authors.forename: Lena Anna
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schnell
authors.forename: Dusan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hirjak
authors.forename: Philipp Arthur
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Thomann
mesh_terms: D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*