Elsevier

Biological Psychiatry

Volume 69, Issue 10, 15 May 2011, Pages 974-979
Biological Psychiatry

Archival Report
Folding of the Prefrontal Cortex in Schizophrenia: Regional Differences in Gyrification

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.12.012Get rights and content

Background

Anatomy of prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia has been studied previously by quantifying the degree of gyrification. Conflicting results exist, with some studies showing hypergyria and others showing hypogyria. It is likely that regional variations in cortical folding exist within the prefrontal cortex that could be explored by studying the anatomical subdivisions formed by the sulci and gyri. With surface reconstructions from magnetic resonance imaging, we studied the gyrification within anatomically meaningful subdivisions of prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia.

Methods

Prefrontal cortex was studied with an automated method to obtain Local Gyrification Index, reflecting the degree of cortical folding in 57 patients with schizophrenia and 42 control subjects. Regional differences within prefrontal cortex were compared between the two groups with a sulcogyral atlas. Effects of hemisphere and age were subsequently assessed.

Results

Patients with schizophrenia had significant hypogyria in most prefrontal regions except the frontomarginal region, which showed hypergyria. The normal left > right pattern of prefrontal gyrification was reversed in schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia also showed significant age-related reduction in gyrification at the hypogyric regions.

Conclusions

The differences between reported findings regarding prefrontal gyrification might reflect regional variation in the nature of the abnormal process of gyrification in schizophrenia. Prefrontal gyrification is significantly influenced by age in schizophrenia, in addition to the influence of neurodevelopmental factors.

Section snippets

Participants

A sample of 57 patients satisfying DSM-IV criteria (17) for schizophrenia and 42 healthy control subjects was recruited. Regional ethics committees (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) approved the study, and all participants provided written informed consent. Patients were initially referred by clinicians attached to community mental health teams and rehabilitation services. The diagnosis of schizophrenia was made in a clinical consensus meeting among a team of research psychiatrists (PFL, PM, or

Results

There were no significant differences in demographic features such as age [t(1,96) = −1.32, p = .17] or parental socioeconomic status (Mann–Whitney U test, Z = −1.94, p > .05) between the two groups. The mean total symptom score on the Signs and Symptoms of Psychotic Illness was 10.28 of a maximum of 80 (range: 0–29), indicating a low symptom burden and consistent with recruitment in a stable phase of illness. The mean score on Reality Distortion (Delusions and Hallucinations) among the patient

Discussion

With vertex-wise computation of gyrification index within major sulcogyral regions of prefrontal cortex on three-dimensional brain reconstructions, we have shown significantly altered cortical folding pattern in schizophrenia. Our results confirm our main hypothesis that there are both hypergyric and hypogyric regions in prefrontal cortex of patients with schizophrenia when compared with healthy control subjects. Significant age-related reduction in gyrification index is observed in those

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