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Symptom dimensions are associated with progressive brain volume changes in schizophrenia
G Collin1, E M Derks, N E M van Haren
1University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Psychiatry, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Schizophrenia Research
|April 27, 2012
Summary
Schizophrenia patients with high disorganization symptoms show greater brain volume loss and lower IQ. This suggests a distinct subgroup for further etiological research into the illness.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Background:
- Schizophrenia exhibits significant variability in progressive brain volume changes.
- The link between clinical heterogeneity and these brain changes is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between specific symptom dimensions in schizophrenia and longitudinal changes in brain volume.
- To explore if clinical heterogeneity, measured by symptom dimensions, correlates with brain structure alterations over time.
Main Methods:
- Utilized global brain volume measurements from 105 schizophrenia patients and 100 healthy controls over a 5-year period.
- Calculated symptom dimension scores via factor analysis and employed linear regression and t-tests to assess associations with brain volume changes.
- Controlled for age, gender, intracranial volume, antipsychotic medication, outcome, and IQ.
Main Results:
- The disorganization symptom dimension was significantly associated with progressive decreases in total brain and cerebellar volume in schizophrenia patients.
- Higher levels of disorganization correlated with lower IQ in both patients and healthy controls.
- No association was found between disorganization scores and brain volume changes in healthy comparison subjects.
Conclusions:
- Progressive brain volume changes in schizophrenia are strongly linked to the disorganization symptom dimension.
- Schizophrenia patients with high disorganization display accelerated global brain volume reduction and lower IQ, suggesting a distinct, homogenous subgroup.
- This subgroup may be valuable for future etiological and genetic studies of schizophrenia.
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