Recently released findings show that reductions of gray matter in the brain identifiable through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are linked to an elevated risk of schizophrenia.
For the last ten years, University of Ediburgh scientists have been tracking 200 people with a family history of schizophrenia, taking scans of their brains every 18 months to monitor changes in the brain which might indicate if the individual will also go on to develop the disease.
Over the course of the study, eight of the subjects developed schizophrenia. Reviewing previous brain scans, scientists noted reductions in gray matter in the area of the brain known as the inferior temporal gyrus among these patients. Ultimately, 60 percent of the subjects who showed these changes in brain density became schizophrenic, although the overall risk factor of the group was estimated at just 13 percent.
The study's authors hope that with further research these findings might be used to develop tests which, when combined with clinical assessments, could help identify individuals at the highest risk of developing schizophrenia.
Read more: Brain Scans Could Help Predict Schizophrenia
FULL TEXT: Grey matter changes can improve the prediction of schizophrenia in subjects at high risk
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