This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (58)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Neurology  • Cognitive Disorders  • Schizophrenia  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Raquel E. Gur, MD, PhD; Bruce I. Turetsky, MD; Warren B. Bilker, PhD; Ruben C. Gur, PhD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1999;56:905-911.

Background  There is emerging evidence that gray matter (GM) is reduced in patients with schizophrenia. Information on the extent of global differences in the 3 principal supertentorial compartments is necessary for interpretation of regional effects. The relation of GM reduction to clinical status and neurocognition also requires examination.

Methods  Magnetic resonance imaging, neurocognitive measures, and clinical assessment of symptoms and functioning were obtained for 130 patients (51 neuroleptic naive, 79 previously treated) and 130 healthy controls (75 men, 55 women in each group).

Results  Overall GM volume was reduced in patients compared with controls. This was evident in men (6% reduction) and women (2% reduction) and was already evident at the first presentation of neuroleptic-naive patients. The reduction sustained correction for age and total intracranial volume. Compartmental volumes did not correlate with the severity of positive (r, -0.08 to 0.23) or negative (r, -0.01 to -0.07) symptoms, but GM volume was associated with better premorbid functioning in women (r, 0.36-0.51). Small but significant correlations (r, 0.19-0.44) were observed between GM volume and performance in 6 neurocognitive domains. These correlations varied by diagnosis, most higher in patients, and were moderated by sex.

Conclusions  Gray matter volume reduction in schizophrenia is already evident in men and women at first presentation. While this reduction is not correlated with symptom severity, it is associated with cognitive performance. Since GM development accelerates in the later part of gestation, while white matter growth is primarily postnatal, the results may support the hypothesis that neurodevelopmental processes relate to GM deficit.

From the Schizophrenia Research Center, Neuropsychiatry Section, Department of Psychiatry (Drs R. E. Gur, Turetsky, and R. C. Gur), and the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology (Dr Bilker), University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Gray Matter in First-Episode Schizophrenia Before and After Antipsychotic Drug Treatment. Anatomical Likelihood Estimation Meta-analyses With Sample Size Weighting
Leung et al.
Schizophr Bull 2009;0:sbp099v1-sbp099.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Regional Deficits in Brain Volume in Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analysis of Voxel-Based Morphometry Studies
Honea et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2005;162:2233-2245.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Whole-Brain Morphometric Study of Schizophrenia Revealing a Spatially Complex Set of Focal Abnormalities
Davatzikos et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2005;62:1218-1227.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Ventricular Enlargement in Schizophrenia Related to Volume Reduction of the Thalamus, Striatum, and Superior Temporal Cortex
Gaser et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2004;161:154-156.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Decrements in Volume of Anterior Ventromedial Temporal Lobe and Olfactory Dysfunction in Schizophrenia
Turetsky et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2003;60:1193-1200.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Psychiatry's Remarkable Journey: The Past 40 Years
Pardes
Psychiatr. Serv. 2003;54:896-901.
FULL TEXT  

Structural magnetic resonance imaging in patients with first-episode schizophrenia, psychotic and severe non-psychotic depression and healthy controls: Results of the Schizophrenia and Affective Psychoses (SAP) project
SALOKANGAS et al.
Br. J. Psychiatry 2002;181 :s58-s65.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Volume Changes in Gray Matter in Patients With Schizophrenia
Hulshoff Pol et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2002;159:244-250.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Focal Gray Matter Density Changes in Schizophrenia
Hulshoff Pol et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2001;58:1118-1125.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Velocardiofacial Syndrome: Are Structural Changes in the Temporal and Mesial Temporal Regions Related to Schizophrenia?
Eliez et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2001;158:447-453.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Parental Origin of the Deletion 22q11.2 and Brain Development in Velocardiofacial Syndrome: A Preliminary Study
Eliez et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2001;58:64-68.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Reduced Dorsal and Orbital Prefrontal Gray Matter Volumes in Schizophrenia
Gur et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2000;57:761-768.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Temporolimbic Volume Reductions in Schizophrenia
Gur et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2000;57:769-775.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Schizophrenia as a Disorder of Developmentally Reduced Synaptic Connectivity
McGlashan and Hoffman
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2000;57:637-648.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Reduced Olfactory Bulb Volume in Patients With Schizophrenia
Turetsky et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2000;157:828-830.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT