Structural brain imaging abnormalities correlate with positive symptom in schizophrenia.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Schizophrenia's positive symptoms are associated with neuroanatomical changes, but specific structural determinants are unclear.
• Understanding these brain alterations is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between positive symptoms and structural brain changes in first-episode schizophrenia (FES).
• To examine grey matter (GM) volume and cortical thickness alterations in FES patients.

Main Methods:

• Compared 44 FES patients with 48 healthy controls (HCs).
• Assessed individual-level GM volume and cortical thickness using neuroimaging techniques.
• Evaluated clinical symptoms in FES patients.

Main Results:

• FES patients exhibited reduced right superior temporal gyrus (STG) GM volume compared to HCs.
• Increased cortical thickness in the left S_circular_insula_inf was observed in FES patients.
• Increased left S_circular_insula_inf thickness positively correlated with positive symptom severity in FES.

Conclusions:

• Early-stage schizophrenia shows GM abnormalities in the STG and altered insula cortical thickness.
• These structural brain changes may underlie the positive symptoms observed in first-episode schizophrenia.