Conte Schizophrenia Research Center and Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7160, USA.
Am J Psychiatry. 2010 Sep;167(9):1083-91. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2010.09101492. Epub 2010 Jun 1.
Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with abnormalities of brain structure and white matter, although little is known about when these abnormalities arise. This study was conducted to identify structural brain abnormalities in the prenatal and neonatal periods associated with genetic risk for schizophrenia.
Prenatal ultrasound scans and neonatal structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging were prospectively obtained in the offspring of mothers with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (N=26) and matched comparison mothers without psychiatric illness (N=26). Comparisons were made for prenatal lateral ventricle width and head circumference, for neonatal intracranial, CSF, gray matter, white matter, and lateral ventricle volumes, and for neonatal diffusion properties of the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum and corticospinal tracts.
Relative to the matched comparison subjects, the offspring of mothers with schizophrenia did not differ in prenatal lateral ventricle width or head circumference. Overall, the high-risk neonates had nonsignificantly larger intracranial, CSF, and lateral ventricle volumes. Subgroup analysis revealed that male high-risk infants had significantly larger intracranial, CSF, total gray matter, and lateral ventricle volumes; the female high-risk neonates were similar to the female comparison subjects. There were no group differences in white matter diffusion tensor properties.
Male neonates at genetic risk for schizophrenia had several larger than normal brain volumes, while females did not. To the authors' knowledge, this study provides the first evidence, in the context of its limitations, that early neonatal brain development may be abnormal in males at genetic risk for schizophrenia.
精神分裂症是一种与大脑结构和白质异常相关的神经发育障碍，尽管人们对这些异常何时发生知之甚少。本研究旨在确定与精神分裂症遗传风险相关的产前和新生儿期的结构脑异常。
前瞻性地获取患有精神分裂症或分裂情感障碍的母亲（N=26）及其无精神疾病的匹配对照母亲（N=26）的子女的产前超声扫描和新生儿结构磁共振成像（MRI）和弥散张量成像。比较了产前侧脑室宽度和头围、新生儿颅内、CSF、灰质、白质和侧脑室体积，以及胼胝体膝部和压部以及皮质脊髓束的新生儿弥散特性。
与匹配的对照组相比，精神分裂症母亲的子女在产前侧脑室宽度或头围方面没有差异。总体而言，高风险新生儿的颅内、CSF 和侧脑室体积较大，但无统计学意义。亚组分析显示，男性高风险婴儿的颅内、CSF、总灰质和侧脑室体积较大；女性高风险新生儿与女性对照组相似。白质弥散张量特性没有组间差异。
患有精神分裂症遗传风险的男性新生儿有几个大脑体积大于正常，而女性则没有。据作者所知，这项研究首次提供了证据，表明在其局限性范围内，精神分裂症遗传风险的男性新生儿的早期新生儿脑发育可能异常。
