Reduced lateralization in early onset schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
Previous imaging studies have described gray and white matter alterations in the cerebellum, the posterior aspects of the visual system and in the corpus callosum in patients with schizophrenia. Here, we investigated these regions in more detail using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Additionally, we evaluated potential changes in lateralization of the optic radiation and the superior cerebellar peduncle.


METHODS
We studied 12 patients with first-admission schizophrenia and a group of age-matched healthy controls. The diffusion tensor imaging data were preprocessed using tract-based spatial statistics and the obtained white matter skeleton was used to perform a regional analysis of fractional anisotropy in the corpus callosum, the optic radiation, and the superior and middle cerebellar peduncles.


RESULTS
Using TBSS, a significant reduction of fractional anisotropy in the whole corpus callosum and the optic radiation but not in the middle and superior cerebellar peduncles was found. Furthermore, a significantly decreased lateralization of the optic radiation and the superior cerebellar peduncles in patients was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings substantiate the concept that schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder and indicate that changes in lateralization may play a key role in the pathogenesis of this disease.
Quantitative Imaging Based Disease Characterization, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany.
Martin T
MT
Freitag
Thomas
T
van Bruggen
Klaus H
KH
Fritzsche
Romy
R
Henze
Romuald
R
Brunner
Peter
P
Parzer
Franz
F
Resch
Bram
B
Stieltjes
D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D016880:Anisotropy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult