title: Age-related cortical thickness differences in adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia compared with healthy adolescents.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of age on cerebral cortical thickness in adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) (n=22, aged 12-18 years), as compared to an age-matched healthy control group (n=32). All participants were scanned with magnetic resonance imaging. Whereas in the healthy control group there was a negative association between increasing age and cortical thickness measures in widespread brain regions, including frontal and parietal cortices, the patient group showed no significant effects of age when the groups were studied separately. There was a trend towards an age-by-group effect in the left supramarginal gyrus and the right pre- and postcentral gyri. The between-group statistical analysis indicated similar cortical thickness in the patients as in the healthy controls. There were no significant effects of medication on cortical thickness, nor was there any significant sex-by-group interaction. The results suggest that patients with EOS have a deficiency of the expected cortical thinning to occur during adolescence development. The findings are discussed in context of neurobiological processes known to be involved in brain maturation, including synaptic reorganization, pruning and myelination.
authors.affiliation: Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, 1309 Rud, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: rune.thormodsen@psykologi.uio.no.
authors.forename: Rune
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thormodsen
authors.forename: Lars M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Rimol
authors.forename: Christian K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Tamnes
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Juuhl-Langseth
authors.forename: Aina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holmén
authors.forename: Kyrre Eeg
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Emblem
authors.forename: Bjørn Rishovd
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Rund
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Agartz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D036421:Nerve Fibers, Unmyelinated / Q000473:pathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics
keywords: Age interaction; Cortical thickness; Early-onset schizophrenia; Gray matter; MRI