Brain change trajectories that differentiate the major psychoses

Abstract

Background Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are highly heritable, often chronic and debilitating psychotic disorders that can be difficult to differentiate clinically. Their brain phenotypes appear to overlap in both crosssectional and longitudinal structural neuroimaging studies, with some evidence to suggest areas of differentiation with differing trajectories. The aim of this review was to investigate the notion that longitudinal trajectories of alterations in brain structure could differentiate the two disorders.

Schizophrenia and Human Self-Domestication: An Evolutionary Linguistics Approach

“…Accordingly, brain volume constraints in SZ are better explained as a combination of early neurodevelopmental disturbance and disease progression [Haijma et al, 2013]. Longitudinal studies have suggested that the SZ brain entails a disorder-specific trajectory of morphological changes (compared with other psychotic conditions), characterized by a progressive grey matter loss confined to frontotemporal cortical regions [De Peri et al, 2012;Liberg et al, 2016]. Studies in childhood onset SZ have revealed a reduced cerebral volume and cortical thickness during childhood and adolescence, which level off in adulthood, along with deficits in local connectivity and increased long-range connectivity [Baribeau and Anagnostou, 2013].…”

A within‐subject consideration of the psychotic spectrum disorder concept in a patient in remission associated with cortical gray matter recovery

“…Loss of gray matter, due to loss of neurons and thinning of the neuropil, has been described in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder . The loss of gray matter in schizophrenia has been reported in many brain areas, including bilateral insular cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, left parahippocampal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and thalamus .…”

“…The loss of gray matter in schizophrenia has been reported in many brain areas, including bilateral insular cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, left parahippocampal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and thalamus . Bipolar patients, in general, manifest less gray matter loss compared to normal controls, than do schizophrenia patients, with loss concentrated in cingulate cortical areas . Gray matter loss in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder has been attributed to excessive pruning and inflammation during early development, as well as during the prodromal period, with genetic factors and stress considered to be the major basis for the loss of gray matter .…”

“…Loss of gray matter, due to loss of neurons and thinning of the neuropil, has been described in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. 33,33,[44][45][46][47] The loss of gray matter in schizophrenia has been reported in many brain areas, including bilateral insular cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, left parahippocampal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and thalamus. 45 Bipolar patients, in general, manifest less gray matter loss compared to normal controls, than do schizophrenia patients, with loss concentrated in cingulate cortical areas.…”

“…45 Bipolar patients, in general, manifest less gray matter loss compared to normal controls, than do schizophrenia patients, with loss concentrated in cingulate cortical areas. 47 Gray matter loss in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder has been attributed to excessive pruning and inflammation during early development, as well as during the prodromal period, with genetic factors and stress considered to be the major basis for the loss of gray matter. [48][49][50] Longitudinal MRI studies indicate progressive loss of brain volume in some patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.…”