Abstract
In patients with schizophrenia neuroimaging studies have revealed global differences with some brain regions showing focal abnormalities. Examining neurocircuitry, diffusion-weighted imaging studies have identified altered structural integrity of white matter in frontal and temporal brain regions and tracts such as the cingulum bundles, uncinate fasciculi, internal capsules and corpus callosum associated with the illness. Furthermore, structural co-variance analyses have revealed altered structural relationships among regional morphology in the thalamus, frontal, temporal and parietal cortices in schizophrenia patients. The distributed nature of these abnormalities in schizophrenia suggests that multiple brain circuits are impaired, a neural feature that may be better addressed with network level analyses. However, even with the advent of these newer analyses, a large amount of variability in findings remains, likely partially due to the considerable heterogeneity present in this disorder.
Highlights
Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the population and is characterized by disordered thought processes as well as impaired emotional responses
CONCLUSIONS These studies provide insight into structural connectivity based brain correlates of schizophrenia
Widespread alterations in connectivity are present in the brains of chronic
Summary
Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the population and is characterized by disordered thought processes as well as impaired emotional responses. In vivo neuroimaging approaches have made significant inroads toward the description of these brain abnormalities though variability in results has precluded consensus on precise neural correlates of the illness. The majority of neuroimaging studies examine the brains of chronic patients who have lived with schizophrenia for years. The vast majority of patients in these studies are taking antipsychotic medications to treat the symptoms of the illness and the effects of long-term medication exposure on brain structure could confound interpretation of these results. The examination of patients who are early in the course of the illness (first episode) and often have not been treated with medication, as well as groups that are at a high risk for developing the disorder (high-risk and family studies), aim to address these issues. Understanding brain abnormalities in these groups may make it possible to identify vulnerability early and allow for interventions to help prevent or delay progression to chronic illness
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