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Structural brain deficits in schizophrenia. Identification by computed tomographic scan density measurements
Archives of General Psychiatry
|September 1, 1981
Summary
Schizophrenia may involve brain damage, particularly in the anterior left hemisphere. Computed tomographic (CT) scans revealed lower brain density in schizophrenic patients compared to controls.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Radiology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Chronic schizophrenia has been linked to brain damage.
- Computed tomographic (CT) scans have identified abnormalities in schizophrenic brains.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate localized changes in CT scan density in schizophrenic patients versus normal controls.
- To determine if structural deficits are present in schizophrenic brains.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-four normal subjects and 23 schizophrenic patients underwent CT scans.
- Density measurements were taken in various brain regions (left, right, anterior, posterior) at three CT scan levels.
Main Results:
- Five of six anterior left-hemisphere density measurements were lower in schizophrenic brains.
- Only three of 18 measurements in other brain areas showed differences between groups.
Conclusions:
- Results support the hypothesis of primary structural deficits in some schizophrenic patients.
- These deficits appear centered in the anterior region of the left (dominant) hemisphere.