Reduced Thickness of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Individuals With an At-Risk Mental State Who Later Develop Psychosis.
Despite the fact that only a part of the individuals with at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis do develop psychosis, biological markers of future transition to psychosis have not been well documented. Structural abnormality of the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG), which probably exists prior to the onset of psychosis, could be such a risk marker.



We conducted a multicenter magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of 3 scanning sites in Japan. 1.5-T 3D MRI scans were obtained from 73 ARMS subjects and 74 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. We measured thickness, volume, and surface area of the ACG using labeled cortical distance mapping and compared these measures among healthy controls, ARMS subjects who later converted to overt psychosis (ARMS-C), and those who did not (ARMS-NC).



Seventeen of 73 (23%) ARMS subjects developed overt psychosis within the follow-up period. The thickness of the left ACG was significantly reduced in ARMS-C relative to healthy subjects (P = .026) while both ARMS-C (P = .001) and ARMS-NC (P = .01) had larger surface areas of the left ACG compared with healthy controls.



Further studies will be needed to identify potential markers of future transition to psychosis though cortical thinning of the ACG might be one of the candidates.
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 9300194, Japan.
Yoichiro
Y
Takayanagi
Center for Imaging Science and Institute for Computational Medicine, The Whitaker Biomedical Engineering Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
Sue
S
Kulason
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 9300194, Japan.
Daiki
D
Sasabayashi
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 9300194, Japan.
Tsutomu
T
Takahashi
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Naoyuki
N
Katagiri
Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
Atsushi
A
Sakuma
Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
Chika
C
Obara
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 9300194, Japan.
Mihoko
M
Nakamura
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 9300194, Japan.
Mikio
M
Kido
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 9300194, Japan.
Atsushi
A
Furuichi
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 9300194, Japan.
Yumiko
Y
Nishikawa
Department of Radiology, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan.
Kyo
K
Noguchi
Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
Kazunori
K
Matsumoto
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Masafumi
M
Mizuno
Center for Imaging Science and Institute for Computational Medicine, The Whitaker Biomedical Engineering Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
J Tilak
JT
Ratnanather
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 9300194, Japan.
Michio
M
Suzuki
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D062706:Prodromal Symptoms; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D012306:Risk; D055815:Young Adult
anterior cingulate cortex; at-risk mental state; cortical thickness; labeled cortical distance mapping; psychosis