MRI changes in schizophrenia in late life: a preliminary controlled study

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Psychiatry
• Gerontology

Background:

• Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder with potential neurobiological underpinnings.
• Cerebral changes, particularly white matter abnormalities, have been observed in schizophrenia, but their prevalence in elderly populations requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare cerebral changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in elderly schizophrenic subjects with those in psychiatric and normal control subjects.
• To investigate the relationship between MRI abnormalities, age, and age of onset in these groups.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study comparing MRI scans of 19 elderly schizophrenic subjects, 19 with recurrent major depression, and 19 nonpsychiatric controls.
• Age and gender matching were employed for all comparison groups.
• Deep white matter hyperintensities (DWMH) and overall MRI abnormalities were assessed.

Main Results:

• Deep white matter hyperintensities in right posterior regions were significantly more prominent in the schizophrenic group.
• Total MRI abnormalities correlated with age in both normal control and schizophrenic groups.
• Age of onset was associated with total ratings in the depressive group, but not in the schizophrenic group.

Conclusions:

• A subset of elderly patients with schizophrenia exhibit cerebral white matter abnormalities.
• These abnormalities may not be exclusively linked to late-onset schizophrenia.
• Further systematic MRI studies are needed to clarify the role of early- versus late-onset schizophrenia in elderly individuals.