O6.3. PATTERNS OF GRAY MATTER ABNORMALITIES IN PATIENTS WITH FIRST-EPISODE AND TREATMENT-NAïVE SCHIZOPHRENIA

Mingli Li,Hua Yu,Xiaojing Li,Liansheng Zhao,Lena Palaniyappan,Yinfei Li,Deng Wei,Tao Li,Ya-Jing Meng,Tushar Das,Xiaohong Ma,Qiang Wang,Yingcheng Wang

doi:10.1093/schbul/sby015.224

Abstract

BackgroundTo detect schizophrenia-related anatomical changes that are not confounded by antipsychotic treatment and to establish clinically identifiable subgroups that differ in underlying neuroanatomical patterns.MethodsThis case-control study was conducted at West China hospital in China, and analysis was undertaken in Robarts Research Institute, London, Canada. 206 patients with schizophreniform psychosis and schizophrenia and 170 healthy controls were scanned on a Signa 3.0-T MR scanner; 137 patients with schizophreniform psychosis and schizophrenia and 172 healthy controls were scanned on a 3.0 T MR scanner. All the patients were ﬁrst-episode and treatment-naïve. Source based morphometry (SBM) performed to analyze the gray matter (GM) concentration. Latent class analysis used to identify clinical subtypes of patients using the scores of symptom dimensions. GMC component-based connectomes were constructed to study the graphic organization of structural brain network of subtypes of schizophrenia.ResultsPatients showed prominent reduction in GM in two components; one including anterior insula, inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate and another with superior temporal gyrus, and precuneus, inferior/superior parietal lobule, cuneus, and lingual gyrus. Increased GM was seen in one component of cerebellar tonsil and inferior semi-lunar lobule, and the other component of middle temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus and putamen. Greater GM of latter component was associated with less severe positive symptoms and better performance on cognitive tests. Reduced global efficiency only existed in a subgroup of patients with severe negative and disorganization symptoms.DiscussionThese findings delineate a common pattern of gray matter changes in schizophrenia, and a subgroup of patients with robust cortical reorganization suggestive of compensatory plasticity after first episode.

Highlights

To detect schizophrenia-related anatomical changes that are not confounded by antipsychotic treatment and to establish clinically identifiable subgroups that differ in underlying neuroanatomical patterns
In HS subjects ACC glutamate levels were negatively correlated with GMV in the ACC (P < 0.05). Such association was absent in LS. These findings provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence that brain glutamate levels are associated with emotional hyper-responsivity and volumetric changes in HS in brain regions thought to be critical in the pathophysiology of psychotic symptoms
This case-control study was conducted at West China hospital in China, and analysis was undertaken in Robarts Research Institute, London, Canada. 206 patients with schizophreniform psychosis and schizophrenia and 170 healthy controls were scanned on a Signa 3.0-T MR scanner; 137 patients with schizophreniform psychosis and schizophrenia and Abstracts for the Sixth Biennial SIRS Conference

Summary

Introduction

To detect schizophrenia-related anatomical changes that are not confounded by antipsychotic treatment and to establish clinically identifiable subgroups that differ in underlying neuroanatomical patterns. Our recent studies investigated whether changes in brain glutamate are present in healthy individuals with high psychometric schizotypy, and whether these are related to changes in (1) corticolimbic response to emotion and (2) gray matter volume (GMV).

Results

Conclusion