Whitford Thomas J, Farrow Tom F D, Rennie Christopher J, Grieve Stuart M, Gomes Lavier, Brennan John, Harris Anthony W F, Williams Leanne M
The Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Millennium Institute and University of Sydney, and Acacia House, Westmead Hospital, New South Wales, Australia.
Neuroreport. 2007 Mar 26;18(5):435-9. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e3280119d31.
Although there is substantial evidence indicating that patients with first-episode schizophrenia exhibit both anatomical and electrophysiological abnormalities, there has been little research investigating the relationship between these two indices. We acquired structural magnetic resonance images and resting electroencephalographic recordings from 19 patients with schizophrenia, both at the time of their first presentation to mental health services and 2-3 years subsequently. Patients' grey matter images were parcellated into four brain lobes, and slow-wave, alpha- and beta-electroencephalographic power was calculated in four corresponding cortical regions. Although grey matter volume decreased longitudinally, particularly fronto-parietally, electroencephalographic power increased in the slow-wave and beta-frequency bands. These results suggest that first-episode schizophrenia may be associated with abnormally elevated levels of neural synchrony.
