title: White matter microstructure in ultra-high risk and first episode schizophrenia: A prospective study.
abstract: There is increasing evidence of white matter (WM) pathology in schizophrenia, but its role at the very early stage of the disorder remains unclear. In an exploration of WM microstructure in ultra-high risk (UHR) subjects and first episode schizophrenia (FES), 34 FES, 27 UHR and 26 healthy control (HC) subjects underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tract based spatial statistics (TBSS) investigation. Whole brain fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial (RD) and axial diffusivity (AD) values were extracted. UHR subjects who later developed psychosis showed lower FA compared with HC in the corpus callosum (CC), the left superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculus, the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculs (IFO), and the forceps; RD was significantly higher in the CC, the forceps, the anterior thalamic radiation bilaterally, and the cingulum bundle. FES, compared to HC, showed a significant FA reduction of the CC, the superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculi bilaterally, the IFO bilaterally, the corona radiate bilaterally, and the forceps; while RD was found to be significantly increased in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus. UHR who later developed psychosis had WM abnormalities affecting brain pathways that are crucial for intra- and inter-hemispheric connections.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychiatry, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs (Ne.S.M.O.S.), Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: s.rigucci@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rigucci
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Physiology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Santi
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychiatry, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs (Ne.S.M.O.S.), Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Corigliano
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Physiology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Imola
authors.affiliation: Unit of Neuroradiology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs (Ne.S.M.O.S.), Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rossi-Espagnet
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychiatry, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs (Ne.S.M.O.S.), Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Iginia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mancinelli
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychiatry, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs (Ne.S.M.O.S.), Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Pisa
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychiatry, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs (Ne.S.M.O.S.), Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Manfredi
authors.affiliation: Unit of Neuroradiology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs (Ne.S.M.O.S.), Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bozzao
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Physiology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carducci
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychiatry, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs (Ne.S.M.O.S.), Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girardi
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychiatry, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs (Ne.S.M.O.S.), Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Comparelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: At-risk mental state; Axonal integrity; First episode schizophrenia; Tbss; UHR; White matter