Brain Abnormalities in Schizophrenia: A Comparative Imagistic Study

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Neuroimaging reveals a link between psychiatric conditions and brain structural–functional changes, prompting a paradigm shift in viewing schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder. This study aims to identify and compare structural brain changes found during the first schizophrenia episode with those found after more than 5 years of illness. Materials and Methods: This prospective study involved 149 participants enrolled between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2021. The participants were categorized into three groups: the first comprises 51 individuals with an initial psychotic episode, the second consists of 49 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia for over 5 years, and a control group comprising 50 individuals without a diagnosis of schizophrenia or any other psychotic disorder. All participants underwent brain CT examinations. Results: The study examined all three groups: first-episode schizophrenia (FES), schizophrenia (SCZ), and the control group. The FES group had a mean age of 26.35 years and a mean duration of illness of 1.2 years. The SCZ group, with a mean age of 40.08 years, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia for an average of 15.12 years. The control group, with a mean age of 34.60 years, had no schizophrenia diagnosis. Structural measurements revealed widening of frontal horns and lateral ventricles in the SCZ group compared to FES and the FES group compared to the control group. Differences in the dimensions of the third ventricle were noted between SCZ and FES, while no distinction was observed between FES and the control group. The fourth ventricle had similar measurements in FES and SCZ groups, both exceeding those of the control group. Our results showed higher densities in the frontal lobe in schizophrenia patients compared to FES and the control group, with the control group consistently displaying the lowest densities. Conclusions: In summary, our comparative imaging analysis of schizophrenia patients, first-episode schizophrenia, and control patients revealed distinct ventricular patterns, with SCZ showing greater widening than FES and FES wider than the control group. Frontal lobe density, assessed via cerebral CT scans, indicated a higher density in the SCZ group in both anterior and posterior cortex portions compared to FES and the control group, while the left posterior cortex in FES had the highest density. These findings highlight unique neuroanatomical features across groups, shedding light on structural differences associated with different stages of schizophrenia.