2019, Vol. 2, Issue 2, Part B

Background and Objectives: Schizophrenia is a serious neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by disturbances in perception, emotions, and cognition. Increasing evidence indicates that white matter abnormalities are a significant factor in its etiology. The aim of this diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study was to investigate alterations in white matter integrity among schizophrenia patients and to establish an association between these alterations and the severity of their clinical symptoms.

Materials and Methods: The study comprised 60 participants: 30 diagnosed with schizophrenia (mean age: 32.6 ± 7.8 years; 18 males and 12 females) and 30 healthy controls matched for age and sex. From August 2018 to July 2019, psychiatry residents and fellows from Madha Medical College in Chennai, India, took part in this study. MRI scans were performed on a 3.0 T Siemens scanner utilizing diffusion-weighted sequences.

Results: Patients with schizophrenia demonstrated significantly reduced FA values in the corpus callosum, superior longitudinal fasciculus (0.389 ± 0.026 vs. 0.442 ± 0.029; p = 0.004), and anterior cingulum (0.372 ± 0.023 vs. 0.425 ± 0.028; p = 0.001) compared to controls. The MD values in the corpus callosum were greater than those in the other regions, with p-values of 0.003. A significant negative correlation existed between fractional anisotropy in the anterior cingulum and PANSS negative subscale scores, suggesting that more severe negative symptoms were associated with greater white matter disruption.

Conclusion: Patients with schizophrenia had increased mean diffusivity (MD) and decreased fractional anisotropy (FA), indicating significant microstructural alterations in white matter, particularly within the fronto-temporal and interhemispheric areas. These changes are linked to worse clinical symptoms, which supports the hypothesis that schizophrenia is caused by problems with critical brain networks. Imaging biomarkers such as DTI may be beneficial for monitoring disease progression and therapy effectiveness.