A multi-scanner study of subcortical brain volume abnormalities in schizophrenia

Abstract

Schizophrenia patients show significant subcortical brain abnormalities. We examined these abnormalities using automated image analysis software and provide effect size estimates for prospective multi-scanner schizophrenia studies. Subcortical and intracranial volumes were obtained using FreeSurfer 5.0.0 from high-resolution structural imaging scans from 186 schizophrenia patients (mean age±SD=38.9±11.6, 78% males) and 176 demographically similar controls (mean age±SD=37.5±11.2, 72% males). Scans were acquired from seven 3-Tesla scanners. Univariate mixed model regression analyses compared between-group volume differences. Weighted mean effect sizes (and number of subjects needed for 80% power at α=0.05) were computed based on the individual single site studies as well as on the overall multi-site study. Schizophrenia patients have significantly smaller intracranial, amygdala, and hippocampus volumes and larger lateral ventricle, putamen and pallidum volumes compared with healthy volunteers. Weighted mean effect sizes based on single site studies were generally larger than effect sizes computed based on analysis of the overall multi-site sample. Prospectively collected structural imaging data can be combined across sites to increase statistical power for meaningful group comparisons. Even when using similar scan protocols at each scanner, some between-site variance remains. The multi-scanner effect sizes provided by this study should help in the design of future multi-scanner schizophrenia imaging studies.

Association between the scores of the Japanese version of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia and whole‐brain structure in patients with chronic schizophrenia: A voxel‐based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging study

“…29 In contrast, there was no area with increased gray matter volume in our patients, which is inconsistent with some reports that regions such as the putamen are larger in patients with schizophrenia than in HC. 8,[30][31][32] Among the areas with reduced gray matter volume, the working memory score positively correlated with the volumes of the anterior cingulate and medial frontal cortices in the patients. This contradicts a prior BACS study 13 in which the effects were seen in the temporal cortex.…”

Multimodal Fusion With Reference: Searching for Joint Neuromarkers of Working Memory Deficits in Schizophrenia

“…Then, the GM images were smoothed with a FWHM of 8 mm Gaussian filter. Subject outlier detection was further performed using a spatial Pearson correlation with the template image to ensure that all subjects were properly segmented [details can be found in [27, 28]].…”

Deficient adolescent social behavior following early-life inflammation is ameliorated by augmentation of anandamide signaling

“…Altered excitability, activation and structure of the amygdala have been implicated in a variety of disorders including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Weston, 2014), schizophrenia (van Erp et al, 2014) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (reviewed by Zalla and Sperduti, 2013). Interestingly, in recent years a growing body of work emerged suggesting the eCB system to be altered in ASD.…”