Morphology of the anterior cingulate cortex in young men at ultra-high risk of developing a psychotic illness

Abstract

Background: The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is consistently implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and our own work has identified morphological anomalies in the ACC of people with this disorder. Aims: To examine whether ACC morphological anomalies are present in a group at ultra-high risk of psychosis and whether such anomalies can be used to predict the subsequent development of a psychotic illness. Method: Magnetic resonance imaging of 75 healthy volunteers and 63 people at ultra-high risk of developing a psychotic disorder (all right-handed males) was used to examine ACC sulcal and gyral features. Results: Compared with the controls, significantly fewer people in the ult..