Niu Lisha, Matsui Mie, Zhou Shi-Yu, Hagino Hirofumi, Takahashi Tsutomu, Yoneyama Eiichi, Kawasaki Yasuhiro, Suzuki Michio, Seto Hikaru, Ono Taketoshi, Kurachi Masayoshi
Department of Psychology, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
Psychiatry Res. 2004 Nov 15;132(1):41-51. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2004.06.002.
The amygdala is known to be involved in the pathology of schizophrenia. While only a limited number of studies in schizophrenia have measured the amygdala as a single structure. The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that patients with schizophrenia would show reduced volumes in the amygdala compared with normal controls. We investigated amygdala volume in 40 patients with schizophrenia (20 males, 20 females) and 40 age- and gender-matched normal controls using three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Whole volumes of both the amygdala and the temporal lobe were measured on consecutive coronal 1-mm slices. The amygdala volume was significantly smaller in schizophrenia patients than in controls. Considering gender differences, male patients had significantly smaller volumes in the bilateral amygdala than male controls; female patients had a significantly reduced right amygdala compared with female controls. Furthermore, a significant left-smaller-than-right volumetric asymmetry of the amygdala was detected in male patients with schizophrenia. The results may be important for understanding the role of the amygdala in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the anatomical substrates of gender difference in the expressions of the illness.
已知杏仁核与精神分裂症的病理机制有关。然而，在精神分裂症研究中，仅有少数研究将杏仁核作为单一结构进行测量。本研究的目的是检验这一假设：与正常对照组相比，精神分裂症患者的杏仁核体积会减小。我们使用三维磁共振成像（MRI）对40例精神分裂症患者（20名男性，20名女性）和40名年龄及性别匹配的正常对照组进行了杏仁核体积的研究。在连续的1毫米冠状切片上测量杏仁核和颞叶的总体积。精神分裂症患者的杏仁核体积显著小于对照组。考虑到性别差异，男性患者双侧杏仁核的体积显著小于男性对照组；女性患者右侧杏仁核与女性对照组相比明显减小。此外，在男性精神分裂症患者中检测到杏仁核存在显著的左小于右的体积不对称性。这些结果对于理解杏仁核在精神分裂症病理生理学中的作用以及该疾病表现中性别差异的解剖学基础可能具有重要意义。
