[Magnetization transfer imaging--the new method of brain tissue investigation in schizophrenia]

The structural abnormalities in brains of persons suffering from schizophrenia were noticed in neuropathological studies, pneumoencephalography, tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for a long time. The reduction of grey matter volume was present mainly in frontal and temporal lobes and also a decrease of total brain volume with an increase of ventricle volume was observed. The volumetric reduction of white matter was not observed. However, structural changes may not be present in each case and conventional MRI, even with high resolution images is not able to detect subtle changes which may have a functional significance. The new MRI techniques, e.g. magnetic transfer imaging (MTI), indicate the presence of changes in the white matter of schizophrenic's brains, which are not detectable by conventional MRI. MTI is based on decreasing of the signal intensity by the transfer of magnetization between saturated protons of water, bound to macromolecules of myelin and phospholipids in cell membranes and free water protons. This process may be used to estimate structural integrity of white and grey matter, to reveal the presence of subtle changes in brain tissue.