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Cortical gray matter volume deficit in patients with first-episode schizophrenia
1Psychiatry Service (116-A3), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, CA 94304, USA. lim@isl.stanford.edu
Objective:
A cortical gray matter deficit has been found in cross-sectional studies of patients with chronic schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to examine whether this deficit is present early in the course of illness.
Method:
The authors measured cortical gray matter volume on magnetic resonance images acquired within 6 months of onset of illness from 22 patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 51 age-matched comparison subjects from the Stony Brook First Episode Study.
Results:
A significant cortical gray matter deficit and lateral ventricular enlargement were found in schizophrenic patients relative to the comparison group.
Conclusions:
The presence of the cortical gray matter deficit close to onset of illness supports the role of preexisting structural brain deficits in the genesis of schizophrenia.