Morphometric magnetic resonance imaging in psychiatry

Although advances in the clinical criteria of various axis I psychiatric disorders are continually being made, there is still considerable overlap in the clinical features, and diagnosis is often challenging. As a result, there has been substantial interest in using morphometric magnetic resonance imaging to better characterize these diseases and inform diagnosis. Region of interest and voxel-based morphometry studies are reviewed herein to examine the extent to which these goals are being met across various psychiatric disorders. It is concluded based on the studies reviewed that specific patterns of regional loss, although present in certain axis I disorders, are not, as yet, diagnostically useful. However, advances in outcome and treatment monitoring show considerably more promise for rapid application in psychiatry.