Morphological Study Of Magnetic Resonance Brain Structure In First - Episode Schizophrenia Patients

Part one:A voxel-based morphometry study on the alterations of grey matter volume in patients with early adulthood first episode schizophreniaObjective:To investigate the gray matter volume alterations in patients with early adulthood first episode schizophrenia by using voxel-based morphometry(VBM).Methods:According to the inclusion criteria,30 patients with early adulthood first episode schizophrenia were included as a group of patients,30 healthy volunteers were included as a normal control group. Whole brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) 3D images were acquired by using high-resolution isotropic Tl-weighted Magnetization Prepared Rapid Gradient Echo (MPRAGE) sequences. VBM analysis was performed to detect the whole brain gray matter volume differences between the two groups after data preprocessing using SPM8 with two sample t test.Results:Compared to the control group, gray matter volumes of the middle temporal gyrus, parahippocampal, fusiform, lingual, superior temporal gyrus, insula, precentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, thalamus of the left cerebrum and superior temporal gyrus, parahippocampal, thalamus of the right cerebrum were decreased in the patients.Conclusion:VBM analysis revealed that schizophrenia patients exhibited reduced gray matter volume in multiple brain regions.Part two:A surface-based analysis on the alterations of cortical thickness and surface area in patients with early adulthood first episode schizophreniaObjective:To investigate cortical thickness and surface area alterations in patients with early adulthood first episode schizophrenia with surface-based analysis(SBA) and correlations between cortical thickness and symptom severity.Methods:According to the inclusion criteria,30 patients with early adulthood first episode schizophrenia were included as a group of patients,30 healthy volunteers were included as a normal control group. Whole brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) 3D images were acquired on 3.0 Tesla scanners. High-resolution isotropic T1-weighted Magnetization Prepared Rapid Gradient Echo (MPRAGE) sequences were obtained. By applying Freesurfer, the cortical thickness and surface area of the two groups were compared. Correlations between PANSS score(PANSS positive symptom score, PANSS negative symptom score, PANSS general score, PANSS total score)and cortical thickness of the abnormal area were calculated by Pearson correlation analysis.Results:Compared to the normal controls, the patients showed significant decreased of the cortical thickness in left lingual, left inferior temporal, left caudal middle frontal, right inferior temporal, right paracentral, right fusiform, right superior frontal and right caudal middle frontal. There were no significant differences with the cortical surface area between the two groups. Within the patients group, left inferior temporal, left caudal middle frontal, right inferior temporal, right paracentral were correlated with PANSS positive symptom score. Left caudal middle frontal, right paracentral, right superior frontal were correlated with PANSS negative symptom score. Left inferior temporal, left caudal middle frontal, right inferior temporal, right paracentral, right superior frontal, right caudal middle frontal were correlated with PANSS general score. Left inferior temporal, left caudal middle frontal, right inferior temporal, right paracentral, right superior frontal,right caudal middle frontal were correlated with PANSS total score.Conclusion:Multiple cortical thickness abnormality regions were in patients with early adulthood first episode schizophrenia, and the cortical thickness were associated with symptoms severity.