MRI Study of the Brain Structural Characteristic in Persecutory Delusions

The structural MRI of the cortex, subcortical structures, hippocampal subfields, and brainstem regions in patients with persecutory delusions in schizophrenia (ICD-10 code: F20) and delusional disorder (ICD-10 code: F22.0) were analyzed. Patients demonstrated multiple regions of decreased cortical gray matter thickness, reduced volumes of the left thalamus and some hippocampal sub-fields compared to mentally healthy subjects. No alterations in brainstem structures were found. The results were analyzed within the framework of the transnosological model of delusions.