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Schizophrenia and the brain: a prospective clinico-neuropathological study
C J Bruton1, T J Crow, C D Frith
1Department of Neuropathology, Runwell Hospital, Wickford, Essex.
Psychological Medicine
|May 1, 1990
Summary
Schizophrenia patients exhibit reduced brain weight and length, with enlarged ventricles, compared to controls. These structural brain changes correlate with pre-morbid function in schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Neuropathology
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder with suspected neurobiological underpinnings.
- Previous research has suggested structural brain abnormalities in individuals with schizophrenia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neuropathological differences between schizophrenia patients and matched controls.
- To identify specific structural brain changes associated with schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, systematic assessment of 56 schizophrenia patients and 56 age/sex-matched normal controls.
- Post-formalin fixation brain measurements including weight, length, and ventricular size.
- Histopathological analysis for non-specific focal pathology and fibrillary gliosis.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia brains showed significantly reduced weight and length, and increased ventricular size.
- Increased non-specific focal pathology and fibrillary gliosis were observed in schizophrenia patients.
- Structural brain changes persisted after excluding cases with Alzheimer's, cerebrovascular disease, or focal pathology.
Conclusions:
- Structural brain abnormalities are a consistent finding in schizophrenia.
- These brain changes correlate with pre-morbid functioning in schizophrenia patients.
- Findings suggest potential neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative factors in schizophrenia etiology.