Cerebral ventricular change over the first 10 years after the onset of schizophrenia.

Whether the brain structural abnormalities seen in schizophrenia are progressive is controversial. We previously reported on a longitudinal study of 50 first-episode patients with schizophrenia and 20 controls who had serial MRI scans during the first 5 years of illness. Greater enlargement of lateral ventricles and reduction of hemispheric volume was observed over time in the patients compared with controls.

Sex-dependent effects of schizophrenia: an MRI study of gyral folding, and cortical and white matter volume.

Alterations, sometimes sex-dependent, in volumes and gyral structure of areas of cerebral cortex have been reported in schizophrenia. Such changes imply an anomaly of connectivity. The gyrification, percentage of tissue volume attributed to white matter, cortical volume and white matter volume were measured from magnetic resonance images in males and females with (n = 61) and without (n = 42) schizophrenia.

Genome-wide scan for linkage to schizophrenia in a Spanish-origin cohort from Costa Rica.

Genetic isolates have been useful cohorts in which to search for genes underlying disorders of unknown pathology. One such cohort is thought to exist in the Central Valley of Costa Rica surrounding the city of San Jose. Previous investigators identified a rare dominant gene for hereditary deafness in this population, and a suggestive linkage of severe bipolar psychosis has been reported in another study.