Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026
09:33
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Extensive white matter abnormalities in patients with first-episode schizophrenia: a Diffusion Tensor Iimaging (DTI)
Sang-Hyuk Lee1, Marek Kubicki, Takeshi Asami
1Laboratory of Neuroscience, Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Boston Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Brockton Division, Harvard Medical School, Brockton, MA, United States. leesanghyuk@yahoo.com
Schizophrenia Research
|January 8, 2013
Summary
First-episode schizophrenia patients exhibit widespread white matter disruptions, particularly in myelin integrity, impacting cognitive function. These findings suggest potential therapeutic targets for improving outcomes in early psychosis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Psychiatry
- White Matter Integrity
Background:
- Previous Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) studies on first-episode schizophrenia (FESZ) reported inconsistent findings regarding white matter abnormalities.
- Limited analysis in prior research focused mainly on Fractional Anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate comprehensive white matter abnormalities in FESZ compared to healthy controls (HC).
- To utilize tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) with multiple diffusion measures.
- To correlate white matter integrity with symptom severity and cognitive performance.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen FESZ patients and seventeen age/gender-matched HC underwent DTI.
- TBSS was employed to compare FA, MD, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity between groups.
- Pearson correlation analysis linked diffusion measures to clinical and cognitive assessments.
Main Results:
- FESZ patients showed significantly lower FA in multiple white matter tracts, including the corpus callosum, internal/external capsules, fornix, and fronto-occipital/cingulum/uncinate fasciculi.
- Increased MD and radial diffusivity were observed across most white matter regions in FESZ.
- FA in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and external capsule correlated with positive/negative symptoms and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance.
Conclusions:
- The findings indicate extensive white matter disruptions in FESZ, likely related to myelin pathology.
- These abnormalities are associated with symptom severity and cognitive deficits.
