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Cingulate volume abnormalities in emerging psychosis
Michel Röthlisberger1, Anita Riecher-Rössler, Jacqueline Aston
1Department of Psychiatry, c/o University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Petersgraben 4, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland.
Current Pharmaceutical Design
|January 14, 2012
Summary
Individuals at risk for psychosis show reduced cingulate cortex gray matter volume, particularly in the left caudal anterior cingulate cortex. These findings suggest vulnerability to psychosis, not just the disorder itself.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Psychiatry
- Neuroanatomy
Background:
- Cingulate cortex volume abnormalities are common in psychosis.
- The relationship between these abnormalities and psychosis vulnerability versus the disorder itself requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare cingulate gray matter volumes across different stages of psychosis.
- To investigate cingulate volume changes during the transition to psychosis.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional MRI study analyzed manually traced cingulate gray-matter volumes.
- Participants included individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS), first-episode psychosis (FEP), and healthy controls (HC).
- 8 cingulate subregions were analyzed using a region-of-interest approach.
Main Results:
- ARMS individuals exhibited significantly reduced left caudal anterior cingulate cortex volume compared to HC.
- A similar trend was observed in FEP patients.
- Within the ARMS group, those who transitioned to psychosis (ARMS-T) showed reduced whole right cingulate cortex, right subgenual cingulate cortex, and right posterior cingulate cortex volumes compared to those who did not (ARMS-NT).
Conclusions:
- The at-risk mental state is associated with cingulate volume reductions, especially in the left caudal anterior cingulate cortex.
- These cingulate abnormalities may indicate an increased vulnerability to psychosis.
- The findings suggest these volume reductions are a correlate of psychosis vulnerability rather than solely a consequence of the disorder.
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