OBJECTIVE: Childhood-onset schizophrenia shows progressive brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes during adolescence, which follow a back-to-front "wave." The authors' goal was to examine whether healthy siblings of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia show structural brain abnormalities and the age-related pattern of abnormalities seen in patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia. METHOD: Anatomic brain MRI scans were obtained from 15 psychiatrically healthy full siblings of 15 patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia and from 32 matched community volunteers. Automated measures were used to compare total and regional brain volumes of the siblings and volunteers. RESULTS: Siblings of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia had smaller total cerebral volume and total, frontal, and parietal gray matter volumes than volunteers. When divided into younger and older groups, younger siblings had smaller parietal gray matter volumes and older siblings showed trends for smaller total and frontal gray matter volumes. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy siblings of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia share brain MRI abnormalities with the patients that may follow a similar pattern of progression. Developmental brain abnormalities in childhood-onset schizophrenia may thus be genetic trait markers.
OBJECTIVE: Childhood-onset schizophrenia shows progressive brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes during adolescence, which follow a back-to-front "wave." The authors' goal was to examine whether healthy siblings of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia show structural brain abnormalities and the age-related pattern of abnormalities seen in patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia. METHOD: Anatomic brain MRI scans were obtained from 15 psychiatrically healthy full siblings of 15 patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia and from 32 matched community volunteers. Automated measures were used to compare total and regional brain volumes of the siblings and volunteers. RESULTS: Siblings of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia had smaller total cerebral volume and total, frontal, and parietal gray matter volumes than volunteers. When divided into younger and older groups, younger siblings had smaller parietal gray matter volumes and older siblings showed trends for smaller total and frontal gray matter volumes. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy siblings of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia share brain MRI abnormalities with the patients that may follow a similar pattern of progression. Developmental brain abnormalities in childhood-onset schizophrenia may thus be genetic trait markers.
Authors: Armin Raznahan; Deanna Greenstein; Yohan Lee; Robert Long; Liv Clasen; Pete Gochman; Anjene Addington; Jay N Giedd; Judith L Rapoport; Nitin Gogtay Journal: Neuroimage Date: 2011-05-15 Impact factor: 6.556
Authors: Daniel R Calabrese; Lei Wang; Michael P Harms; J Tilak Ratnanather; Deanna M Barch; C Robert Cloninger; Paul A Thompson; Michael I Miller; John G Csernansky Journal: Schizophr Res Date: 2008-08-09 Impact factor: 4.939
Authors: Nicole Davis; Christopher J Cannistraci; Baxter P Rogers; J Christopher Gatenby; Lynn S Fuchs; Adam W Anderson; John C Gore Journal: Magn Reson Imaging Date: 2009-06-30 Impact factor: 2.546
Authors: Celso Arango; Carmen Moreno; Salvador Martínez; Mara Parellada; Manuel Desco; Dolores Moreno; David Fraguas; Nitin Gogtay; Anthony James; Judith Rapoport Journal: Schizophr Bull Date: 2008-01-29 Impact factor: 9.306