Takahashi Tsutomu, Sasabayashi Daiki, Takayanagi Yoichiro, Furuichi Atsushi, Kobayashi Haruko, Yuasa Yusuke, Noguchi Kyo, Suzuki Michio
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan; Research Center for Idling Brain Science, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan; Research Center for Idling Brain Science, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
Schizophr Res. 2023 Oct;260:23-29. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.07.032. Epub 2023 Aug 7.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have revealed gray matter reductions in the insular cortex of schizophrenia patients. Despite large inter-individual anatomical variations in the insular gyri of human brains, the gross anatomical features of the insular cortex and their relationships with clinical characteristics remain largely unknown in schizophrenia.
The present MRI study investigated variations in the insular gross anatomy (i.e., the development and split patterns of each gyrus and gyrus numbers) and their relationships with clinical variables and insular gray matter volumes in 66 patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FE-Sz) and 66 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
The FE-Sz group had a significantly larger number of insular gyri bilaterally with well-developed accessory, middle short, and posterior long insular gyri than the control group, and this was associated with a younger onset age and severe positive symptoms. The split patterns of major insular gyri did not significantly differ between the groups. The FE-Sz group was also characterized by a smaller gray matter volume in the insular cortex than the control group; however, this was not associated with the insular gross anatomy or clinical characteristics.
As the insular gyral organization reflects brain development during mid to late gestation, the gross anatomical features of the insular cortex in schizophrenia, which were independent of gray matter volumes, may be used as early neurodevelopmental abnormality markers for the illness.
磁共振成像（MRI）研究显示，精神分裂症患者脑岛皮质的灰质减少。尽管人类脑岛回存在较大的个体间解剖变异，但在精神分裂症中，脑岛皮质的大体解剖特征及其与临床特征的关系仍 largely unknown。
本MRI研究调查了66例首发精神分裂症（FE-Sz）患者和66例年龄及性别匹配的健康对照者的脑岛大体解剖变异（即每个脑回的发育和分裂模式以及脑回数量）及其与临床变量和脑岛灰质体积的关系。
与对照组相比，FE-Sz组双侧脑岛回数量显著更多，副脑岛回、中间短脑岛回和后长脑岛回发育良好，且这与发病年龄较小和严重的阳性症状相关。两组之间主要脑岛回的分裂模式无显著差异。FE-Sz组的脑岛皮质灰质体积也比对照组小；然而，这与脑岛大体解剖或临床特征无关。
由于脑岛回组织反映妊娠中后期的脑发育，精神分裂症中脑岛皮质的大体解剖特征独立于灰质体积，可作为该疾病早期神经发育异常的标志物。
