Reduced Microstructural Lateralization in Males with Chronic Schizophrenia: A Diffusional Kurtosis Imaging Study.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Psychiatry
• Brain Anatomy

Background:

• Decreased brain lateralization is a known trait marker in schizophrenia.
• Previous research focused on functional and macrostructural lateralization, with limited in vivo microstructural studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate in vivo gray matter microstructure lateralization in schizophrenia.
• To utilize diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and mean kurtosis (MK) for assessing microstructural patterns.

Main Methods:

• Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI) was used to calculate mean kurtosis (MK).
• Microstructural Laterality Indexes (μLIs) were computed for 46 gray matter regions in 18 males with chronic schizophrenia and 19 healthy controls.
• Group comparisons of μLIs and correlation with Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) performance were performed.

Main Results:

• Males with chronic schizophrenia exhibited significantly decreased μLI in cortical and subcortical gray matter regions compared to controls.
• Reduced μLI in schizophrenia patients was correlated with poorer performance on the WCST.

Conclusions:

• Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI)-derived mean kurtosis (MK) can effectively capture in vivo gray matter microstructural lateralization abnormalities in schizophrenia.
• These findings highlight potential neurobiological substrates and support DKI as a tool for understanding schizophrenia pathology.