Optimized voxel-based morphometry of gray matter volume in first-episode, antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia

doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2005.01.020

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry

Volume 29, Issue 4, May 2005, Pages 587-591

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2005.01.020 Get rights and content

Abstract

This study examined gray matter (GM) volume abnormalities in first-episode, antipsychotic-naïve Indian schizophrenia patients. Magnetic resonance images of 18 schizophrenia patients and 18 matched healthy comparison subjects were analyzed by optimized voxel-based morphometry. Schizophrenia patients had significantly smaller global GM and greater global CSF volumes and smaller regional GM volume in superior frontal, inferior frontal, cingulate, post-central, superior temporal and parahippocampal gyri, inferior parietal lobule, insula, caudate nuclei, thalamus and cerebellum. Findings suggest limbic, heteromodal cortical, striatal, thalamic and cerebellar abnormalities in schizophrenia.

Introduction

Imaging studies examining first-episode, antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia (FANS) patients demonstrate brain abnormalities without confounds of illness chronicity and neuroleptic treatment (Cahn et al., 2002). Most of the previous studies on FANS have used labor-intensive, manual region of interest (ROI) method, which restricts the number of brain regions that can be practically measured. This warrants the need for automated techniques (Shenton et al., 2001). Optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) is an automated image analysis technique that offers an improvised, rapid and unbiased whole brain survey (Good et al., 2001). Previous studies using VBM have examined FANS patients from western countries (Job et al., 2002, Kubicki et al., 2002, Salgado-Pineda et al., 2003). To our knowledge, no published study has examined the structural brain abnormalities in FANS patients from India using an automated image analysis. We used optimized VBM to analyze GM volume abnormalities in Indian FANS patients.

Section snippets

Subjects

The sample consisted of 18 antipsychotic-naïve patients [age = 24.9 ± 6.3 years, M/F = 9:9, education = 10.9 ± 4.3 years] and 18 healthy comparison subjects (HC) [age = 25.7 ± 7.5 years, M/F = 9:9, education = 12.5 ± 2.5 years]. Age, sex and education did not differ significantly between patients and HC (p > 0.05). All subjects (patients and HC) were right-handed. DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) was established using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV (First

Results

Schizophrenia patients (1324 ± 143 mL) and HC (1364 ± 118 mL) did not differ significantly in ICV (t = 0.96, p = 0.4). Patients (605 ± 50 mL) had significantly smaller GM volume than HC (650 ± 59 mL) after controlling for ICV (df = 2,33, F = 12.2, p = 0.001). After controlling for ICV, CSF volume was significantly greater in patients (352 ± 64 mL) than HC (331 ± 42 mL) (df = 2,33, F = 7.8, p = 0.009), whereas WM volume did not differ significantly between patients (368 ± 51 mL) and HC (383 ± 46 mL) (df = 2,33, F = 0.1, p = 0.8).

Discussion

GM deficits in caudate, cerebellum, frontal and temporal lobes support earlier ROI studies in FANS (Cahn et al., 2002). We have replicated our previous ROI-based finding of caudate and cerebellar volume deficits in Indian FANS patients (Venkatasubramanian et al., 2003). In addition, our findings are comparable with the previous VBM studies on FANS from the West (Job et al., 2002, Kubicki et al., 2002, Salgado-Pineda et al., 2003). In this study, medial temporal lobe and thalamic abnormalities

Conclusions

In summary, first-episode, antipsychotic-naive schizophrenia patients examined in this study had significantly smaller global GM and greater global CSF volumes and smaller regional GM volume in superior frontal, inferior frontal, cingulate, post-central, superior temporal and parahippocampal gyri, inferior parietal lobule, insula, caudate nuclei, thalamus and cerebellum. These findings suggest limbic, heteromodal cortical, striatal, thalamic and cerebellar abnormalities in schizophrenia.

Acknowledgement

This study was funded by the Indo–US project grant 1 R43 04370-01A1 (1997-2001).

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Optimized voxel-based morphometry of gray matter volume in first-episode, antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Subjects

Results

Discussion

Conclusions

Acknowledgement

NeuroImage

NeuroImage

NeuroImage

NeuroImage

Schizophr. Res.

NeuroImage

NeuroImage

NeuroImage

Schizophr. Res.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Cortical and subcortical gray matter abnormalities in schizophrenia determined through structural magnetic resonance imaging with optimized volumetric voxel-based morphometry

Am. J. Psychiatry

Nonlinear spatial normalization using basis functions

Hum. Brain Mapp.

The problem of functional localization in the human brain

Nat. Rev., Neurosci.