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Temporal lobe pathology in schizophrenia: a quantitative magnetic resonance imaging study
R L Suddath1, M F Casanova, T E Goldberg
1Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, NIMH Neurosciences Center, Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC 20032.
The American Journal of Psychiatry
|April 1, 1989
Summary
Schizophrenia patients show reduced temporal lobe gray matter and enlarged lateral ventricles. This gray matter loss correlates with increased ventricle size, suggesting a specific brain region affected in schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Background:
- Schizophrenia is associated with enlarged cerebral ventricles.
- The specific brain regions responsible for tissue loss in schizophrenia remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gray and white matter volumes in the temporal lobes and prefrontal regions of schizophrenia patients.
- To determine the relationship between ventricular enlargement and regional brain tissue loss in schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were analyzed using computerized image analysis.
- Gray and white matter volumes were quantified in 17 schizophrenia patients and 17 matched controls.
- Temporal lobes and prefrontal regions were specifically examined.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients exhibited a 20% reduction in temporal lobe gray matter volume compared to controls.
- Lateral ventricular volume was 67% larger in patients.
- Normalized lateral ventricular volume inversely correlated with temporal lobe gray matter volume.
Conclusions:
- Temporal lobe gray matter reduction is a significant finding in schizophrenia.
- Enlarged lateral ventricles in schizophrenia are associated with gray matter loss in the temporal lobe.
- This suggests a specific pattern of neurodegeneration in schizophrenia affecting temporal lobe structures.