Neurobiological findings in early phase schizophrenia

Abstract

This paper summarises the available information on MRI-determined hippocampal morphometry in first-episode patients as an illustration of the value and interpretation of findings in the neurobiology of early phase schizophrenia. We report a thin slice (1.5 mm) study of 32 first episode and 39 high risk patients which demonstrated significantly smaller hippocampi (right -9%, left -11%) in first episode patients that were of a similar magnitude to those found in chronic patients (right -10%, left -11%) but non-significant volume reductions in high risk individuals, including the 15 subjects who subsequently developed psychoses. Consideration is given to the implications of these findings, incl..