Orbitofrontal sulcogyral pattern and olfactory sulcus depth in the schizophrenia spectrum

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Psychiatry
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background:

• Orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) morphological changes, including altered sulcogyral patterns and olfactory sulcus depth, are observed in schizophrenia.
• These changes may indicate early neurodevelopmental deviations.
• It is unclear if individuals with schizotypal features exhibit similar OFC alterations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) sulcogyral patterns and olfactory sulcus morphology in schizophrenia, schizotypal disorder, and healthy controls.
• To determine if schizotypal disorder shares OFC changes with schizophrenia.

Main Methods:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to examine the OFC sulcogyral pattern (Types I-IV) and olfactory sulcus depth.
• The study included 102 patients with schizophrenia, 47 with schizotypal disorder, and 84 healthy controls.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in the right hemisphere OFC sulcogyral pattern distribution were found between schizophrenia patients and controls/schizotypal patients.
• Schizophrenia patients exhibited decreased Type I and increased Type III patterns compared to controls.
• Olfactory sulcus depth was significantly shallower in schizophrenia patients compared to schizotypal patients and controls bilaterally.

Conclusions:

• Schizotypal disorder shares olfactory sulcus depth alterations with schizophrenia, suggesting a common neurodevelopmental vulnerability in psychosis spectrum disorders.
• Distinct OFC sulcogyral pattern changes in schizophrenia may reflect neurodevelopmental pathology linked to overt psychosis.
• OFC morphology provides insights into the neurodevelopmental underpinnings of schizophrenia and related disorders.