A volumetric MRI study of the entorhinal cortex in first episode neuroleptic-naive schizophrenia

Background: Imaging studies have frequently reported volume loss of limbic structures in schizophrenia, yet there appears to be no quantitative data on entorhinal cortex volumes in patients with neuroleptic naive first-episode schizophrenia. Methods: The volume of the entorhinal cortices of 22 control subjects and 18 patients with neuroleptic-naïve first-episode schizophrenia were measured from magnetic resonance images (MRI) scans using recently designed anatomic criteria for MRI anatomy of the entorhinal cortex. Results: Smaller entorhinal volumes were found bilaterally in the schizophrenic patients. This volume loss did not correlate with items on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Conclusions: These data suggest early involvement of the entorhinal cortex in schizophrenia.