MRI scans of people with schizophrenia have helped to identify structural brain abnormalities, which could improve the treatment of individuals with the condition.
The findings, published online June 2 in Molecular Psychiatry, come from the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics Through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) project. Researchers at more than a dozen sites in the U.S. and Europe analyzed brain scans from 2,028 patients with schizophrenia and 2,540 healthy controls.
The meta-analysis showed that individuals with schizophrenia have smaller volumes in the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, nucleus accumbens, and intracranial space than controls. The patients with schizophrenia also had larger pallidum and ventricular volumes.
The next step in the research is to compare the effects across disorders, such as bipolar disorder, major depression, and autism. Goals include identifying which brain region is the most affected in which disorder and determining the effects of age, medication, environment, and symptom profiles across disorders.
