Childhood trauma and inflammatory biomarker effects on cortical thinning in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) have higher risks for early and adult life traumatic events and suffer from a heightened body response to stress and increased inflammatory activities. We hypothesize that in SSD, the effect of stress is associated with prolonged activation of the inflammatory system and causes elevation in immune markers. We examined the effects of childhood trauma and adult stressful life events on a C-reactive protein (CRP) and their combined contribution to cortical thickness thinning in 49 SSD patients and 26 healthy controls. Participants with SSD reported higher levels of childhood trauma (p = 0.015) and lifetime stressful experiences as measured by a Major Life Event scale (p = 0.00005). Participants with SSD had significantly lower cortical thickness in multiple brain regions but showed no significant elevation in the CRP levels. Only childhood trauma appears to have consistent and significant impacts on multiple cortical regions after accounting for age, sex, CRP and disease effects. These findings may point to the disproportional role of childhood stress in impeding early cortical development.