title: The neuroanatomical basis of panic disorder and social phobia in schizophrenia: a voxel based morphometric study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is known that there is a high prevalence of certain anxiety disorders among schizophrenic patients, especially panic disorder and social phobia. However, the neural underpinnings of the comorbidity of such anxiety disorders and schizophrenia remain unclear. Our study aims to determine the neuroanatomical basis of the co-occurrence of schizophrenia with panic disorder and social phobia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Voxel-based morphometry was used in order to examine brain structure and to measure between-group differences, comparing magnetic resonance images of 20 anxious patients, 20 schizophrenic patients, 20 schizophrenic patients with comorbid anxiety, and 20 healthy control subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the schizophrenic patients, we observed smaller grey-matter volume (GMV) decreases in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and precentral gyrus in the schizophrenic-anxiety group. Additionally, the schizophrenic group showed significantly reduced GMV in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, temporal gyrus and angular/inferior parietal gyrus when compared to the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that the comorbidity of schizophrenia with panic disorder and social phobia might be characterized by specific neuroanatomical and clinical alterations that may be related to maladaptive emotion regulation related to anxiety. Even thought our findings need to be replicated, our study suggests that the identification of neural abnormalities involved in anxiety, schizophrenia and schizophrenia-anxiety may lead to an improved diagnosis and management of these conditions.
authors.affiliation: Grup de Recerca en Neuroimatge, Fundació IMIM, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Marisol
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Picado
authors.affiliation: Grup de Recerca en Neuroimatge, Fundació IMIM, Barcelona, Spain; Departamento de Bioingeniería e Ingeniería Aeroespacial, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carmona
authors.affiliation: Grup de Recerca en Neuroimatge, Fundació IMIM, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Elseline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hoekzema
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions, Parc de Salut Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Guillem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pailhez
authors.affiliation: Grup de Recerca en Neuroimatge, Fundació IMIM, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions, Parc de Salut Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bergé
authors.affiliation: Grup de Recerca en Neuroimatge, Fundació IMIM, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions, Parc de Salut Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mané
authors.affiliation: Grup de Recerca en Neuroimatge, Fundació IMIM, Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fauquet
authors.affiliation: Departament de Filologia Anglesa i Alemanya, Facultad de Filologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hilferty
authors.affiliation: Fundación para la Investigación y la Docencia Maria Angustias Giménez, Germanes Hospitalàries, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions, Parc de Salut Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Romina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cortizo
authors.affiliation: Grup de Recerca en Neuroimatge, Fundació IMIM, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vilarroya
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions, Parc de Salut Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bulbena
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology