Selective bilateral hippocampal volume loss in chronic schizophrenia

Abstract

Background: The hippocampus is implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia; however, volumetric changes are subtle and have limited diagnostic specificity. It is possible that the shape of the hippocampus may be more characteristic of schizophrenia. Methods: Forty-five patients with chronic schizophrenia and 139 healthy control subjects were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging. Hippocampi were traced manually, and two-dimensional shape information was analyzed. Results: Two shape factors were found to be adequate to represent variance in the shape of the hippocampus. One of these factors, representing volume loss behind the head of the hippocampus, provided a degree of discrimina..