Elucidating neuroanatomical alterations in the at risk mental state and first episode psychosis: a combined voxel-based morphometry and voxel-based cortical thickness study.
Previous studies have reported alterations in grey matter volume and cortical thickness in individuals at high risk of developing psychosis and patients in the early stages of the disorder. Because these studies have typically focused on either grey matter volume or cortical thickness separately, the relationship between these two types of alterations is currently unclear. In the present investigation we used both voxel-based cortical thickness (VBCT) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to examine neuroanatomical differences in 21 individuals with an At Risk Mental State (ARMS) for psychosis, 26 patients with a First Episode of Psychosis (FEP) and 24 healthy controls. Statistical inferences were made at P<0.05 after correction for multiple comparisons. Cortical thinning in the right superior temporal gyrus was observed in both individuals at high risk of developing psychosis and patients with a first episode of the disorder, and therefore is likely to represent a marker of vulnerability. In contrast, the right posterior cingulate cortex showed cortical thinning in FEP patients relative to individuals at high risk, and therefore appears to be implicated in the onset of the disease. These neuroanatomical differences were expressed in terms of cortical thickness but not in terms of grey matter volume, and therefore may reflect specific cortical atrophy as opposed to variations in sulcal and gyral morphology.
['Benetti|Stefania|S|', 'Pettersson-Yeo|William|W|', 'Hutton|Chloe|C|', 'Catani|Marco|M|', 'Williams|Steve Cr|SC|', 'Allen|Paul|P|', 'Kambeitz-Ilankovic|Lana M|LM|', 'McGuire|Philip|P|', 'Mechelli|Andrea|A|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D001931:Brain Mapping D002540:Cerebral Cortex D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging D008297:Male D009445:Neuroanatomy D010555:Personality Inventory D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales D011618:Psychotic Disorders D013223:Statistics as Topic D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed D055815:Young Adult
At Risk Mental State First Episode Psychosis Cortical thickness VBM Imaging