ALPHA PSYCHIATRY
Original Articles

Insular volume reduction in young male schizophrenia patients

1.

inonu universitesi radyoloji AD

2.

inonu universitesi psikiyatri AD

Alpha Psychiatry 2020; 21: 579-584
DOI: 10.5455/apd.85006
Read: 865 Downloads: 563 Published: 01 December 2020

Objective: Recent developments in neuroimaging have advanced the understanding of biological mechanisms underlying schizophrenia. Structural and functional abnormalities of the insular cortex have been reported in schizophrenia patients. Many studies have demonstrated that insula volume is lower in schizophrenia patients than healthy individuals. The present study aimed to compare insula volumes of young male schizophrenia patients with that of age-matched young healthy male subjects to eliminate age and gender bias. Methods: Twenty-three male schizophrenia patients meeting DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, who were at the age of 18-40 years, and age-matched 25 healthy male subjects were included into the study. All patients magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedure was completed. Insula volume of schizophrenia patients and healthy male volunteers was calculated using MRICloud method. Disease severity was assessed using Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS). Results: Volumes of both the left and the right insula were significantly lower in the patient group vs. the control group. Moreover, a positive correlation was determined between the right insula volume and the scores of positive symp-tom severity scale. Conclusion: Decreased insular volume is not a specific marker, but it may be a general marker regarding psychopathology. However, investigating whether the diagnostic specificity of insular cortex abnormalities in psychopathologies will be the focus of future studies. [Anadolu Psikiyatri Derg 2020; 21(6.000): 579-584]

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