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Published on: December 2, 2015
Grey matter correlates of minor physical anomalies in the AeSOP first-episode psychosis study
1Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London SE5 8AF, UK, and Department of Psychiatry, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia. k.dean@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Background:
Minor physical anomalies are more prevalent among people with psychosis. This supports a neurodevelopmental aetiology for psychotic disorders, since these anomalies and the brain are both ectodermally derived. However, little is understood about the brain regions implicated in this association.
Aims:
To examine the relationship between minor physical anomalies and grey matter structure in a sample of patients with first-episode psychosis.
Method:
Sixty patients underwent assessment of minor physical anomalies with the Lane scale. High-resolution magnetic resonance images and voxel-based methods of image analysis were used to investigate brain structure in these patients.
Results:
The total anomalies score was associated with a grey matter reduction in the prefrontal cortex and precuneus and with a grey matter excess in the basal ganglia, thalamus and lingual gyrus.
Conclusions:
Minor physical anomalies in a sample of patients with first-episode psychosis are associated with regional grey matter changes. These regional changes may be important in the pathogenesis of psychotic disorder.
