title: Severity of Cortical Thinning Correlates With Schizophrenia Spectrum Symptoms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the relationship between regional cortical gray matter thinning and symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum personality disorders (PDs) in siblings of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 66 siblings of patients with COS were assessed for symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum PDs (avoidant, paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal). Structural magnetic resonance images were obtained at approximately 2-year intervals from the siblings and from 62 healthy volunteers matched for age, sex, ethnicity, and handedness. Cortical thickness measures were extracted. Mixed effect regression models were used to test the relationship between symptoms and cortical gray matter thickness in siblings. Cortical thinning was also tested longitudinally in healthy volunteers and siblings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cortical thinning was found to correlate with symptoms of schizotypal and, to a lesser extent, schizoid PDs. Thinning was most pronounced in the left temporal and parietal lobes and right frontal and parietal regions. Gray matter loss was found to be continuous with that measured in COS. Longitudinal thinning trajectories were found not to differ between siblings and healthy volunteers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present investigation of cortical thinning in siblings of patients with COS indicates that symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum PDs correlate with regional gray matter loss. This finding supports the idea of cortical thinning as a schizophrenia endophenotype.
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health.
authors.forename: Rebecca E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Watsky
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health.
authors.forename: Katharine Ludovici
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Pollard
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health.
authors.forename: Deanna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Greenstein
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health.
authors.forename: Lorie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shora
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dillard-Broadnax
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gochman
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health.
authors.forename: Liv S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Clasen
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health.
authors.forename: Rebecca A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health.
authors.forename: Judith L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rapoport
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health.
authors.forename: Nitin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gogtay
authors.affiliation: Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health.
authors.forename: Anna E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Ordóñez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D058068:Endophenotypes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D012561:Schizophrenia, Childhood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D035781:Siblings / Q000523:psychology
keywords: childhood-onset schizophrenia; cortical thinning; psychosis; schizophrenia spectrum; schizotypal personality disorder