Schizophrenia is a disorder that affects a very small percentage of the population. Due to the disorder, abnormalities are found in the brain's white matter, including the myelin sheath, oligodendroglia, and frontal and temporal lobes. The corpus callosum and cingulate cortex are also abnormal. However, abnormalities are more severe in patients with chronic schizophrenia and as they get older.
“The purpose of the present longitudinal study was to examine whether the older patients with chronic schizophrenia show changed DTI [diffusion tensor imaging] metrics as well as morphometric changes during the course of the disorder, and whether the progress of these changes is affected by other factors such as age at scan, illness duration or the daily dose of antipsychotic drugs, and so on.”
Sixteen male participants with schizophrenia participated in the study. The age range was between 47 and 69. The scale used to assess them were the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) and IQ was measured using the Wechsler adult intelligence scale.
Using an MRI scan and DTI, researchers concluded there was decreased regional cortex volume in the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC) and in the left prefrontal cortex. There was lower fractitional anisotrophy (FA) matter in the bilateral posterior superior temporal lobe, corpus callosum, and ACC. Finally, there was a change in mean diffusivity (MD) in the bilateral posterior superior temporal lobe and left insula. Also there was a loss of grey matter in the left prefrontal cortes and bilateral ACC of schizophrenic patients one year later. This is a follow up study.
“These results suggest that the pattern of progressive brain changes in schizophrenia varies by brain region.” The limitations to the study include no control group of healthy patients, the antipsychotic medication may be contributing to the loss of white matter, and they suggested using longer scan intervals in future studies.
Ota, M., Obu,S., Sato, N., Mizukami, K., & Asada, T. (2009). Progressive brain changes in schizophrenia: a 1-year follow-up study of diffusion tensor imaging. Acta Neuropsychiatrica, 21, 301-307. Retrieved from EbscoHost. doi: 10.1111/j.1601-5215.2009.00422.x
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