Ventricular abnormalities in affective disorder: clinical and demographic correlates

Ventricle-brain ratio was measured by CT scan in 24 bipolar patients, 27 unipolar patients with major depression, 108 schizophrenic patients, and 75 normal control subjects. The male bipolar patients had significantly larger ventricles, but the depressive patients did not. The findings suggest the possibility that ventricular enlargement in bipolar patients is independent of age, as it appears to be in schizophrenia, whereas in depressed patients it may be related to the aging process. Ventricular enlargement in bipolar patients was not related to relevant clinical correlates, such as response to treatment, history of substance abuse, history of ECT, or cognitive impairment.