Structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia: a family study

Biological Psychiatry
L T ZorrillaA Vestergaard

Abstract

Structural brain abnormalities such as ventricular enlargement are robust correlates of schizophrenia, but the degree of difference compared with unrelated normal controls is only moderate (< 1 standard deviation), and only 40% of patients have values on these measures that fall outside of the normal distribution. Family studies can help to clarify the meaning of this overlap by controlling for some of the non-schizophrenia-related genetic variation in neuroanatomical traits. Computerized tomographic scans of the brain were used to measure ventricular and sulcal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to brain ratios (VBR and SBR) for each hemisphere in 16 pairs of discordant siblings from the Copenhagen Schizophrenia High-Risk Project. Schizophrenics' values for VBR and SBR exceeded those of their nonschizophrenic siblings in 75% of the pairs; on average, patients' values on these measures were 1 and 5 standard deviations larger, respectively, than those of their nonschizophrenic siblings. Sulcal and left hemisphere effects were significantly more pronounced than ventricular and right hemisphere effects. After controlling for between-family variation, structural brain abnormalities appear to be more prevalent and more pronounced in schizoph...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 20, 2012·European Psychiatry : the Journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists·S M MeredithS M Lawrie
Jun 3, 2008·European Psychiatry : the Journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists·N E M van HarenR S Kahn
Oct 17, 2014·The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry·Hailong LyuWenbin Guo
Sep 5, 2002·American Journal of Medical Genetics·Colm McDonaldRobin M Murray

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