Brain Structural Changes in Schizophrenia Patients Compared to the Control: A MRI-Based Cavalieri’s Method

Abstract

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a severe psychotic brain disorder. One of the probable mechanisms can be volumetric changes in some brain regions. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to estimate quantitative analysis of the brain by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with schizophrenia compared to the controls. Methods: This case–control study was conducted on MRI scans of 20 patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls in Zahedan, Southeastern Iran. MRIs with 4 mm slice thickness and 5 mm intervals in coronal and sagittal planes were captured. Then, quantitative parameters including volume and volume density of various brain regions were estimated in both groups using Cavalieri's point counting method. Data analyses performed using Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The findings of this investigation revealed that volumes of gray matter, hippocampus, and gray/white matter in patients with schizophrenia were significantly lower than the controls (p˂0.05). The volumes of lateral ventricles in patients with schizophrenia (36.60±4/32 mm3) were significantly higher than the healthy individuals (30.10±7.98 mm3). However, there were no statistically significant changes in the total volume of brain, cerebral hemispheres, white matter, brain stem, cerebellum, and corpus callosum between the two groups (p˃0.05). Conclusion: Volumetric estimations on brain MRI-based stereological technique can be helpful for elucidation of structural changes, follow-up the treatment trends, and evaluating the therapeutic situation in schizophrenia patients. Volumetric alternations in specific brain areas might be linked to cognitive impairments and severity of symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Further researches are needed in this regards.