Lack of Evidence for Regional Brain Volume or Cortical Thickness Abnormalities in Youths at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis: Findings From the Longitudinal Youth at Risk Study.
There is cumulative evidence that young people in an "at-risk mental state" (ARMS) for psychosis show structural brain abnormalities in frontolimbic areas, comparable to, but less extensive than those reported in established schizophrenia. However, most available data come from ARMS samples from Australia, Europe, and North America while large studies from other populations are missing. We conducted a structural brain magnetic resonance imaging study from a relatively large sample of 69 ARMS individuals and 32 matched healthy controls (HC) recruited from Singapore as part of the Longitudinal Youth At-Risk Study (LYRIKS). We used 2 complementary approaches: a voxel-based morphometry and a surface-based morphometry analysis to extract regional gray and white matter volumes (GMV and WMV) and cortical thickness (CT). At the whole-brain level, we did not find any statistically significant difference between ARMS and HC groups concerning total GMV and WMV or regional GMV, WMV, and CT. The additional comparison of 2 regions of interest, hippocampal, and ventricular volumes, did not return any significant difference either. Several characteristics of the LYRIKS sample like Asian origins or the absence of current illicit drug use could explain, alone or in conjunction, the negative findings and suggest that there may be no dramatic volumetric or CT abnormalities in ARMS.
Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia; Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychological Sciences & Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Australia;
Paul
P
Klauser
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; helen.zhou@duke-nus.edu.sg.
Juan
J
Zhou
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore;
Joseph K W
JK
Lim
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore;
Joann S
JS
Poh
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore;
Hui
H
Zheng
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore;
Han Ying
HY
Tng
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore;
Ranga
R
Krishnan
Department of General Psychiatry 1 and Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore; Office of Clinical Sciences, Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore;
Jimmy
J
Lee
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC;
Richard S E
RS
Keefe
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC;
R Alison
RA
Adcock
Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia; School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK.
Stephen J
SJ
Wood
Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia; Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychological Sciences & Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Australia;
Alex
A
Fornito
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore;
Michael W L
MW
Chee
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D012306:Risk; D012846:Singapore; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
early psychosis; magnetic resonance imaging; schizophrenia; surface-based morphometry; voxel-based morphometry