Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 26, 2025

Meta-analysis of Voxel-Based Neuroimaging Studies using Seed-based d Mapping with Permutation of Subject Images SDM-PSI
Published on: November 27, 2019
Aberrant Gray Matter Volume and Cortical Surface in Paranoid-Type Delusional Disorder
Robert Christian Wolf1, Viviane Hildebrandt2, Mike M Schmitgen2
1Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany, christian.wolf@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
Introduction:
Delusions are core symptoms of schizophrenia-spectrum and related disorders. Despite their clinical relevance, the neural correlates underlying such phenomena are unclear. Recent research suggests that specific delusional content may be associated with distinct neural substrates.
Objective:
Here, we used structural magnetic resonance imaging to investigate multiple parameters of brain morphology in patients presenting with paranoid type delusional disorder (pt-DD, n = 14) compared to those of healthy controls (HC, n = 25).
Methods:
Voxel- and surface-based morphometry for structural data was used to investigate gray matter volume (GMV), cortical thickness (CT) and gyrification.
Results:
Compared to HC, patients with pt-DD showed reduced GMV in bilateral amygdala and right inferior frontal gyrus. Higher GMV in patients was found in bilateral orbitofrontal and in left superior frontal cortices. Patients also had lower CT in frontal and temporal regions. Abnormal gyrification in patients was evident in frontal and temporal areas, as well as in bilateral insula.
Conclusions:
The data suggest the presence of aberrant GMV in a right prefrontal region associated with belief evaluation, as well as distinct structural abnormalities in areas that essentially subserve processing of fear, anxiety and threat in patients with pt-DD. It is possible that cortical features of distinct evolutionary and genetic origin, i.e. CT and gyrification, contribute differently to the pathogenesis of pt-DD.
Related Concept Videos
Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes...
Personality Disorders: Paranoid and Schizoid
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Paranoid personality disorder is...
Positive Symptoms Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Hallucinations
Hallucinations in...
Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within...
Cerebrum: Anatomical Overview II
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...

