MRI study of white matter diffusion anisotropy in schizophrenia

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can provide information about brain white matter integrity. The results of DTI studies in schizophrenia are somewhat variable and could benefit from standardized image processing methods. Fourteen patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 14 healthy volunteers underwent DTI. Scans were analyzed using a rigorous voxelwise approach. The key dependent variable, fractional anisotropy, was lower for patients in the corpus callosum, left superior temporal gyrus, parahippocampal gyri, middle temporal gyri, inferior parietal gyri, medial occipital lobe, and the deep frontal perigenual region. Regions showing reduced white matter fractional anisotropy are known to be abnormal in schizophrenia. The voxelwise method used in the current study can provide the basis for hypothesis-driven research.