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Structural brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia and their healthy siblings
W G Staal1, H E Hulshoff Pol, H G Schnack
1Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Utrecht, the Netherlands.
The American Journal of Psychiatry
|March 4, 2000
Summary
Genetic factors may influence brain structure in schizophrenia. Healthy siblings of patients show enlarged third ventricles and reduced cerebral volume, suggesting a shared genetic susceptibility.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Genetics
Background:
- Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder with a significant genetic component.
- Structural brain abnormalities are consistently reported in individuals with schizophrenia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of genetic factors in structural brain abnormalities associated with schizophrenia.
- To examine brain volumes in patients with schizophrenia, their healthy siblings, and matched comparison subjects.
Main Methods:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure various brain volumes.
- The study included 32 same-sex sibling pairs discordant for schizophrenia and 32 matched comparison subjects.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients and their healthy siblings exhibited enlarged third ventricles compared to controls.
- Patients with schizophrenia showed reduced cerebrum and frontal lobe gray matter volumes, and enlarged caudate nuclei and lateral ventricles.
- Healthy siblings did not significantly differ in cerebrum volume from patients or controls, but shared third ventricle enlargement.
Conclusions:
- Enlargement of the third ventricle and some reduction in cerebral volume may be genetic markers for schizophrenia susceptibility.
- These findings suggest that genetic defects contribute to specific brain structural changes observed in schizophrenia and may be present in healthy relatives.