The Alterations Of The Whole Brain In Early Adulthood Patients With First-episode Schizophrenia

Objective:Using the optimized voxel-based morphometry method to investigate the whole brain morphology of early adulthood schizophrenia with first-episode (18-25age), and the correlations between regional volume measure and symptom severity.Method:Twenty-one early adulthood schizophrenia with first-episode met with the American psychiatric association diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder the fourth edition (DSM-IV) and twenty-one normal controls matched with age, sex and education were recruited. Each participant received whole brain MRI scans using GE Signa TwinSpeed 1.5T MR system. Then the 3D brain structural MRI images were obtained. The grey and white matter volume difference between patients and controls was analyzed by using the optimized voxel-based morphometry method (VBM). Symptom severity were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and then the correlation with the grey and white matter volume were also analysed for the patient's group.Results:Compared to the normal controls, the early adulthood schizophrenia with first-episode have multiple brain areas abnormal volume. It showed significant decreased grey matter volume in the left orbital gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, bilateral middle teporal gyrus, left superior parietal lobule, left inferior parietal lobule and right lingual gyrus/cuneus. Significantly decreased white matter volume in the left superior teporal gyrus and right cuneus/lingual gyrus was also found in patients'group. Within the patient group, the relationships between grey volume and symptomic severity (positive,negative,common score and global score of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS)) were estimated by fitting a correlation analysis. The global score of PANSS was positively correlated with grey matter volume of the left superior parietal lobule, but negatively correlated with the left pons. The positive symptom score was negatively related to grey matter volume of the right inferior parietal lobule. The negative symptom score was positively correlated with grey matter volume of the right superior parietal lobule, bilateral precuneus, but negatively correlated with grey matter of the left pons. The common score was negatively correlated with grey matter of the right inferior temporal gyrus, right inferior parietal lobule and left pons. White matter volume in patients with schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms corrrlation analysis, we found more white matter volume of brain regions associated with psychotic symptoms. The global score was positively correlated with white matter volume of the left inferior parietal lobule and left cuneus, but negatively correlated with white matter volume of the right inferior frontal gyrus and left precentral gyrus. The positive symptom score was positively correlated with white matter volume of the left inferior parietal lobule and left cuneus, but negatively correlated with white matter volume of the left precentral gyrus. The negative symptom score was positively correlated with white matter volume of the left inferior parietal lobule and left cuneus, but negatively correlated with white matter of the right inferior front al gyrus and left precentral gyrus. The common score was positively correlated with white matter volume of the left inferior parietal lobule and left cuneus, but negatively correlated with white matter of the right inferior front al gyrus and left precentral gyrus.Conclusions:These preliminary findings provide evidences of obvious multiple grey and white volume abnormality in early adulthood schizophrenia with first-episode. We also found that gray and white volume of different brain regions associated with symptoms severity. Sugges early adulthood schizophrenia with first-episode have extensive brain structural abnormality, which may be the base of schizophrenia pathogenesis.