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Cortical white-matter microstructure in schizophrenia

Diffusion imaging study

Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, and Verona–Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Programme, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Verona

R. CERINI, MD

Department of Morphological and Biomedical Sciences, Section of Radiology, GB Rossi Hospital, University of Verona

A. VERSACE, MD, G. RAMBALDELLI, MS, C. PERLINI, PsychD, N. DUSI, MD and L. PELIZZA, PsychD

Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, and Verona–Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Programme, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Verona

M. BALESTRIERI, MD, PhD

Verona–Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Programme, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, and Department of Pathology and Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Udine

C. BARBUI, MD and M. NOSÈ, MD

Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona

A. GASPARINI, MD

Department of Morphological and Biomedical Sciences, Section of Radiology, GB Rossi Hospital, University of Verona

P. BRAMBILLA, MD, PhD

Verona–Udine Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Programme, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, and Department of Pathology and Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Udine and Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Udine, Italy

Correspondence: Dr Paolo Brambilla, Dipartimento di Patologia e Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Cattedra di Psichiatria, Policlinico Universitario, Via Colugna 50,33100 Udine, Italy. Tel: +39 0432 55 9494; fax: +39 0432 54 5526; email: paolo.brambilla{at}uniud.it

Declaration of interest None.

Background Several, although not all, of the previous small diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) studies have shown cortical white-matter disruption in schizophrenia.

Aims To investigate cortical white-matter microstructure with DWI in a large community-based sample of people with schizophrenia.

Method Sixty-eight people with schizophrenia and 64 healthy controls underwent a session of DWI to obtain the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of white-matter water molecules. Regions of interest were placed in cortical lobes.

Results Compared with controls, the schizophrenia group had significantly greater ADCs in frontal, temporal and occipital white matter (analysis of covariance, P < 0.05).

Conclusions Our findings confirm the presence of cortical white-matter microstructure disruption in frontal and temporo-occipital lobes in the largest sample of people with schizophrenia thus for studied with this technique. Future brain imaging studies, together with genetic investigations, should further explore white-matter integrity and genes encoding myelin-related protein expression in people with first-episode schizophrenia and those at high risk of developing the disorder.

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BJP 2007 191: A5. [Full Text]