Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Schizophrenia

Background Alignment of white matter axons as inferred from diffusion tensor imaging has indicated changes in schizophrenia in frontal and frontotemporal white matter. Methods Diffusion tensor anisotropy and anatomical magnetic resonance images were acquired in 64 patients with schizophrenia and 55 normal volunteers. Anatomical images were acquired with a magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo sequence, and diffusion tensor images used a pulsed gradient spin-echo acquisition. Images were aligned and warped to a standard brain, and anisotropy in normal volunteers and patients was compared using significance probability mapping. Results Patients showed widespread areas of reduced anisotropy, including the frontal white matter, the corpus callosum, and the frontal longitudinal fasciculus. Conclusions These findings, which are consistent with earlier reports of frontal decreases in anisotropy, demonstrate that the effects are most prominent in frontal and callosal areas and are particularly widespread in frontal white matter regions.