Volumetry and diffusion tensor imaging of hippocampal subregions in schizophrenia

• Published in: Neuroreport Vol. 15; no. 5; pp. 867 - 871
• Main Authors: Kalus, Peter, Buri, Caroline, Slotboom, Johannes, Gralla, Jan, Remonda, Luca, Dierks, Thomas, Strik, Werner K, Schroth, Gerhard, Kiefer, Claus
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc 09-04-2004; Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Mapping; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Female; Functional Laterality; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hippocampus - pathology; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Male; Medical sciences; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - pathology; Schizophrenia - physiopathology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Psychosis; Human; Pathogenesis; Imaging; Central nervous system; Schizophrenia; Hippocampus; Encephalon
• ISSN: 0959-4965; 1473-558X
• DOI: 10.1097/00001756-200404090-00027

Previous MRI-volumetric studies in schizophrenic psychoses have demonstrated more or less pronounced volume reductions of the hippocampus in patients. Correspondingly, neuropathological examinations on the brains of schizophrenics showed diverse structural changes of the hippocampus. Employing a high-resolution 3D-MPRAGE sequence, we found volume reductions in most hippocampal subregions of schizophrenic patients, which, however, did not reach significant levels. An analysis of co-registered diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data revealed significant alterations of the inter-voxel coherences in single hippocampal subdivisions of these patients, supporting the assumption of characteristic microstructural tissue changes relevant for the pathogenesis of schizophrenic psychoses. Our results argue for the usage of additional MRI modalities like DTI in order to detect subtle regional alterations of hippocampal structure in schizophrenics.