Lateral ventricular enlargement associated with persistent unemployment and negative symptoms in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

• Published in: Psychiatry research Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Authors: Pearlson, Godfrey D., Garbacz, David J., Breakey, William R., Ahn, Hyo S., DePaulo, J.Raymond
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.05.1984; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Bipolar Disorder - pathology; Bipolar Disorder - psychology; bipolar illness; Cerebral Ventricles - pathology; chronic unemployment; Computed tomography; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; negative symptoms; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - pathology; Schizophrenic Psychology; Social Adjustment; Techniques and methods; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Unemployment; ventricular-to-brain ratio; ventricular-to-brain ratio; bipolar illness; schizophrenia; Computed tomography; chronic unemployment; negative symptoms; Human; Manic depressive psychosis; Affective disorder; Size; Radiologic investigation; Schizophrenia; Computerized axial tomography; Cerebral ventricle; Cerebral disorder; Biological psychiatry
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/0165-1781(84)90133-1

Forty-six patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and 46 individually matched normal volunteers underwent computed tomographic (CT) scans of the head. The ventricular-to-brain ratio was strongly associated with persistent unemployment and negative symptoms in both patient groups. Previous findings of relative lateral ventricular enlargement in a proportion of schizophrenic and bipolar patients were also replicated. Implications of the relationship between CT changes and chronic unemployment among the patients are discussed.