Sulcal Depth-based Cortical Shape Analysis in Normal Healthy Control and Schizophrenia Groups

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurological function
• Brain anatomy

Background:

• Sulcal depth is a key neuroanatomical marker.
• Traditional region-of-interest (ROI) analysis averages sulcal depth, potentially masking subtle changes.
• Reduced sensitivity in detecting group differences is a limitation of current methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a fully automated method for sulcal depth computation and refined ROI definition.
• To enhance statistical sensitivity for detecting group differences in brain anatomy.
• To investigate sulcal depth abnormalities in schizophrenia.

Main Methods:

• A novel automated method focusing on sulcal fundic regions within ROIs.
• Sulcal depth computation and sulcal curve-based ROI refinement.
• Cortical morphological analysis comparing schizophrenia patients to healthy controls.

Main Results:

• The proposed method demonstrates increased sensitivity to group differences compared to traditional ROI approaches.
• Significantly reduced sulcal depth was observed in most cortical lobes of individuals with schizophrenia versus healthy controls (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• The automated sulcal region-focused approach offers superior sensitivity for detecting neuroanatomical alterations.
• This method is effective in identifying sulcal depth reductions associated with schizophrenia.