치료력이 없는 초발 정신분열병 환자의 시상 용적 변화

Thalamic Volumes in Patients with Untreated First-Episode Schizophrenia

Objectives Thalamic structural changes were implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia by some studies. So, we investigated the differences in thalamic volumes between previously untreated patients with first-episode schizophrenia and controls. Methods Thalamic volumes of 24 subjects with schizophrenia and 24 controls were measured from their T1-weighted coronal magnetic resonance images using manual tracing. The thalamus was further segmented into regions that roughly reflected individual thalamic nuclei. Results Comparing to the controls, significantly smaller volumes were found in the left posterior subdivision of thalamus in patient group. Tendency of volume differences were also seen in right posterior subdivision of thalamus in patient group. These regions primarily comprised the pulvinar, a thalamic nucleus thought to be an important component of aberrant circuitry in schizophrenia. Conclusion Our findings suggest the possibility of a volumetric alteration of the thalamus in patients with first-episode schizophrenia