The Quantitative Morphology Using MRI of the Corpus Callosum, Thalamus and Cerebellum in Schizophrenia in Korea

초록

This study aimed to planimetrically measure the corpus callosum, thalamus and cerebellum in schizophrenia in Korea. The midsagittal brain MR images of 20 schizophrenic subjects who met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria and 22 comparison subjects were collected. MR images were redigitalized with flatbed scanner and the data were analyzed with NIH IMAGE 1.61 software. Pixel counting and area measurements were done. The corpus callosum was divided into seven regions and the cerebellar vermis was divided into three regions.. In male schizophrenic subjects, the genu of corpus callosum was found to have significantly smaller area than comparison subjects. But in female subjects no significant difference was found in corpus callosum area. The cerebellar vermis and thalamus did not differ between two groups. The genu area of the corpus callosum in male schizophrenic patients in Korea was significantly smaller. This finding suggests that male schizophrenics have more neurodevelopmental abnormalities and suppports the theory of abnormal prefrontal lobe development.