Increased hippocampal volume in schizophrenics' parents with ancestral history of schizophrenia

Regional Brain Morphometry in Patients With Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder and Their Unaffected Relatives

“…The study confirmed our fifth hypothesis in that it provided no evidence that hippocampal volume reduction is endophenotypic for schizophrenia or for bipolar disorder. This is consistent with our computational morphometry study, which did not find any association between increasing genetic liability and medial-temporal lobe deficits (11) as well as with our previous study of an independent group of families (10) and with some other studies of relatives of patients with schizophrenia (27,28). However, it contrasts with other volumetric studies of the hippocampus (8,29,30) in relatives of patients with schizophrenia or adoles-cents/young adults at a high risk of developing schizophrenia (24).…”

Maternal immune activation in mice delays myelination and axonal development in the hippocampus of the offspring

“…1) Hippocampal abnormalities have been given as a primary cause of schizophrenia (Bogerts et al, 1985; Arnold, 1999; Velakoulis et al, 1999; Weinberger, 1999). 2) Hippocampal abnormalities have been reported not only for subjects with schizophrenia but also for their parents and siblings (Seidman et al, 1999; Harris et al, 2002) and subjects with a schizotypal personality disorder showing preclinical symptoms before the onset of schizophrenia (Suzuki et al, 2005). 3) The CA1 region of the hippocampus is sensitive to various stresses, such as methylazoxymethanol injection in utero (Calcagnotto et al, 2002).…”

Brain Volumes in Relatives of Patients With Schizophrenia

“…Two studies also showed smaller volumes in relatives compared with healthy controls. 32,36 However, Harris et al 33 did not find this. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that brain abnormalities in schizophrenia are related (in part) to the risk of developing the disease and that these brain changes may therefore predate the clinical onset of the disorder.…”