title: Diffusion Tensor MR Imaging Evaluation of Callosal Abnormalities in Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analysis.
abstract: Widespread white matter (WM) abnormalities have been found in patients with schizophrenia. Corpus callosum (CC) is the key area that connects the left and right brain hemispheres. However, the results of studies considering different subregions of the CC as regions of interest in patients with schizophrenia have been inconsistent. To obtain a more consistent evaluation of the diffusion characteristics change of the corpus callosum (CC) related to schizophrenia. A meta-analysis involving fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the CC of 729 schizophrenic subjects and 682 healthy controls from 22 studies was conducted. Overall FA values in the CC of the schizophrenic group were less than that of the healthy control group [weighted mean difference (WMD) = -0.021,P< 0.001]. So were the FA values in the genus region (WMD = -0.019, P< 0.001) and the splenium region (WMD = -0.020, P< 0.001) of the CC respectively. The FA reduction was also significant in subjects with chronic schizophrenia (WMD = -0.032, P< 0.001) and first-episode schizophrenia (WMD = -0.014, P = 0.001). In present study, we demonstrated an overall FA decrease in the CC of schizophrenic patients. In the two subgroup analyses of the genu vs splenium region and chronic vs first-episode schizophrenia, the decrease of all groups was significant. Further studies with more homogenous populations and standardized DTI protocols are needed to confirm and extend these findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Tianjin Mental Health Centre, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Chuanjun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Tianjin Mental Health Centre, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Tianjin Mental Health Centre, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Tianjin Mental Health Centre, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Hongjun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Institute of Mental Health, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, The National Clinical Research Center for Psychiatric and Psychological Diseases, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Jinsong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult