White-matter markers for psychosis in a prospective ultra-high-risk cohort

• Published in: Psychological medicine Vol. 40; no. 8; pp. 1297 - 1304
• Main Authors: Bloemen, O. J. N., de Koning, M. B., Schmitz, N., Nieman, D. H., Becker, H. E., de Haan, L., Dingemans, P., Linszen, D. H., van Amelsvoort, T. A. M. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.08.2010
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anisotropy; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - pathology; Chronic Disease; Cohort Studies; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Disease Progression; DT-MRI; Female; Frontal lobes; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - genetics; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - psychology; High risk; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Integrity; Magnetic resonance imaging; Male; Medial temporal lobe; Medical sciences; Mental disorders; Morality; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated - pathology; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Prospective Studies; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; Psychosis; Reference Values; Research subjects; Risk Factors; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenia - genetics; Schizophrenia - pathology; Schizophrenic Psychology; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - diagnosis; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - genetics; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - psychology; Temporal lobes; transition; UHR; Values; white matter; Young Adult; white matter; DT-MRI; FA; schizophrenia; transition; UHR; Human; High risk; Central nervous system; Biological marker; Schizophrenia; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; White matter; Encephalon; Diffusion tensor imaging; Psychosis; Anisotropy; Medical imagery
• ISSN: 0033-2917; 1469-8978; 1469-8978
• DOI: 10.1017/S0033291709991711

Subjects at 'ultra high risk' (UHR) for developing psychosis have differences in white matter (WM) compared with healthy controls. WM integrity has not yet been investigated in UHR subjects in relation to the development of subsequent psychosis. Hence, we investigated a prospective cohort of UHR subjects comparing whole brain fractional anisotropy (FA) of those later developing psychosis (UHR-P) to those who did not (UHR-NP). We recruited 37 subjects fulfilling UHR criteria and 10 healthy controls. Baseline 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) ratings were obtained. UHR subjects were assessed at 9, 18 and 24 months for development of frank psychosis. We compared baseline FA of UHR-P to controls and UHR-NP subjects. Furthermore, we related clinical data to MRI outcome in the patient population. Of the 37 UHR subjects, 10 had transition to psychosis. UHR-P subjects showed significantly lower FA values than control subjects in medial frontal lobes bilaterally. UHR-P subjects had lower FA values than UHR-NP subjects, lateral to the right putamen and in the left superior temporal lobe. UHR-P subjects showed higher FA values, compared with UHR-NP, in the left medial temporal lobe. In UHR-P, positive PANSS negatively correlated to FA in the left middle temporal lobe. In the total UHR group positive PANSS negatively correlated to FA in the right superior temporal lobe. UHR subjects who later develop psychosis have differences in WM integrity, compared with UHR subjects who do not develop psychosis and to healthy controls, in brain areas associated with schizophrenia.