Hippocampal and parahippocampal volumes in schizophrenia : A structural MRI study

• Published in: Schizophrenia bulletin Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 332 - 340
• Main Authors: SIM, Kang, DEWITT, Iain, DITMAN, Tali, ZALESAK, Martin, GREENHOUSE, Ian, GOFF, Donald, WEISS, Anthony P, HECKERS, Stephan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.04.2006; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebral Cortex - anatomy & histology; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Female; Hippocampus - anatomy & histology; Hippocampus - physiopathology; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Parahippocampal Gyrus - anatomy & histology; Parahippocampal Gyrus - physiopathology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; Regular; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - physiopathology; Temporal Lobe - anatomy & histology; Psychosis; Temporal lobe; Volumetric analysis; Central nervous system; ParahIppocampal cortex; Schizophrenia; Medical imagery; medial temporal lobe/entorhinal/perirhinal/ parahippocampal/region/functional; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Hippocampus; Encephalon
• ISSN: 0586-7614; 1745-1701
• DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbj030

Smaller medial temporal lobe volume is a frequent finding in studies of patients with schizophrenia, but the relative contributions of the hippocampus and three surrounding cortical regions (entorhinal cortex, perirhinal cortex, and parahippocampal cortex) are poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that the volumes of medial temporal lobe regions are selectively changed in schizophrenia. We studied 19 male patients with schizophrenia and 19 age-matched male control subjects. Hippocampal and cortical volumes were estimated using a three-dimensional morphometric protocol for the analysis of high-resolution structural magnetic resonance images, and repeated measures ANOVA was used to test for region-specific differences. Patients had smaller overall medial temporal lobe volumes compared to controls. The volume difference was not specific for either region or hemisphere. The finding of smaller medial temporal lobe volumes in the absence of regional specificity has important implications for studying the functional role of the hippocampus and surrounding cortical regions in schizophrenia.