BACKGROUND: Studies of people with schizophrenia assessed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) usually include patients with first-episode and chronic disease, yet brain abnormalities may be limited to those with chronic schizophrenia. AIMS: To determine whether patients with a first episode of schizophrenia have characteristic brain abnormalities. METHOD: Systematic review and meta-analysis of 66 papers comparing brain volume in patients with a first psychotic episode with volume in healthy controls. RESULTS: A total of 52 cross-sectional studies included 1424 patients with a first psychotic episode; 16 longitudinal studies included 465 such patients. Meta-analysis suggests that whole brain and hippocampal volume are reduced (both P<0.0001) and that ventricular volume is increased (P<0.0001) in these patients relative to healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Average volumetric changes are close to the limit of detection by MRI methods. It remains to be determined whether schizophrenia is a neurodegenerative process that begins at about the time of symptom onset, or whether it is better characterised as a neurodevelopmental process that produces abnormal brain volumes at an early age.
BACKGROUND: Studies of people with schizophrenia assessed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) usually include patients with first-episode and chronic disease, yet brain abnormalities may be limited to those with chronic schizophrenia. AIMS: To determine whether patients with a first episode of schizophrenia have characteristic brain abnormalities. METHOD: Systematic review and meta-analysis of 66 papers comparing brain volume in patients with a first psychotic episode with volume in healthy controls. RESULTS: A total of 52 cross-sectional studies included 1424 patients with a first psychotic episode; 16 longitudinal studies included 465 such patients. Meta-analysis suggests that whole brain and hippocampal volume are reduced (both P<0.0001) and that ventricular volume is increased (P<0.0001) in these patients relative to healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Average volumetric changes are close to the limit of detection by MRI methods. It remains to be determined whether schizophrenia is a neurodegenerative process that begins at about the time of symptom onset, or whether it is better characterised as a neurodevelopmental process that produces abnormal brain volumes at an early age.
Authors: Simon N Vandekar; Russell T Shinohara; Armin Raznahan; Ryan D Hopson; David R Roalf; Kosha Ruparel; Ruben C Gur; Raquel E Gur; Theodore D Satterthwaite Journal: Neuroimage Date: 2016-03-05 Impact factor: 6.556
Authors: Nathan L Hutcheson; David G Clark; Mark S Bolding; David M White; Adrienne C Lahti Journal: Psychiatry Res Date: 2013-10-22 Impact factor: 3.222
Authors: Sara J M Arnold; Elena I Ivleva; Tejas A Gopal; Anil P Reddy; Haekyung Jeon-Slaughter; Carolyn B Sacco; Alan N Francis; Neeraj Tandon; Anup S Bidesi; Bradley Witte; Gaurav Poudyal; Godfrey D Pearlson; John A Sweeney; Brett A Clementz; Matcheri S Keshavan; Carol A Tamminga Journal: Schizophr Bull Date: 2014-02-20 Impact factor: 9.306