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Altered microstructure integrity of the amygdala in schizophrenia: a bimodal MRI and DWI study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2010

B. Tomasino
Affiliation:
Scientific Institute IRCCS ‘E. Medea’, Udine, Italy
M. Bellani
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
C. Perlini
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
G. Rambaldelli
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
R. Cerini
Affiliation:
Department of Morphological and Biomedical Sciences, Section of Radiology, G.B. Rossi Hospital, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
M. Isola
Affiliation:
Department of Medical and Morphological Research, Section of Statistics, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
M. Balestrieri
Affiliation:
Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, Department of Pathology and Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
S. Calì
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
A. Versace
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
R. Pozzi Mucelli
Affiliation:
Department of Morphological and Biomedical Sciences, Section of Radiology, G.B. Rossi Hospital, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
A. Gasparini
Affiliation:
Department of Morphological and Biomedical Sciences, Section of Radiology, G.B. Rossi Hospital, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
M. Tansella
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
P. Brambilla*
Affiliation:
Scientific Institute IRCCS ‘E. Medea’, Udine, Italy Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, Department of Pathology and Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
*
*Address for correspondence: P. Brambilla, Dipartimento di Patologia e Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Cattedra di Psichiatria, AOU, P. le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100 Udine, Italy. (Email: paolo.brambilla@uniud.it)

Abstract

Background

The amygdala plays a central role in the fronto-limbic network involved in the processing of emotions. Structural and functional abnormalities of the amygdala have recently been found in schizophrenia, although there are still contradictory results about its reduced or preserved volumes.

Method

In order to address these contradictory findings and to further elucidate the possibly underlying pathophysiological process of the amygdala, we employed structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), exploring amygdalar volume and microstructural changes in 69 patients with schizophrenia and 72 matched healthy subjects, relating these indices to psychopathological measures.

Results

Measuring water diffusivity, the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) for the right amygdala were found to be significantly greater in patients with schizophrenia compared with healthy controls, with a trend for abnormally reduced volumes. Also, significant correlations between mood symptoms and amygdalar volumes were found in schizophrenia.

Conclusions

We therefore provide evidence that schizophrenia is associated with disrupted tissue organization of the right amygdala, despite partially preserved size, which may ultimately lead to abnormal emotional processing in schizophrenia. This result confirms the major role of the amygdala in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and is discussed with respect to amygdalar structural and functional abnormalities found in patients suffering from this illness.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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