Regional specificity of thalamic volume deficits in male adolescents with early-onset psychosis

• Published in: British journal of psychiatry 2012-01, Vol.200 (1), p.30-36
• Main Authors: Janssen, Joost, Alemán-Goméz, Yasser, Reig, Santiago, Schnack, Hugo G., Parellada, Mara, Graell, Montserrat, Moreno, Carmen, Moreno, Dolores, Mateos-Pérez, J. M., Udias, J. M., Arango, Celso, Desco, Manuel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent boys; Adolescents; Adult; Age; Age of Onset; Anterior Thalamic Nuclei - pathology; Bipolar disorder; Brain; Case-Control Studies; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Cross-Sectional Studies; Declarations; Early onset; Head injuries; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Intellectual disabilities; Linear Models; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Males; Medical imaging; Men; Meta-analysis; Neurological disorders; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Organ Size; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatrists; Psychiatry; Psychoses; Psychosis; Psychotic Disorders - epidemiology; Psychotic Disorders - pathology; Psychotropic drugs; Pulvinar; Pulvinar - pathology; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - epidemiology; Schizophrenia - pathology; Teenagers; Thalamus; Thalamus - pathology; Urine; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0007-1250; 1472-1465
• DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.111.093732

Thalamic volume deficits are associated with psychosis but it is unclear whether the volume reduction is uniformly distributed or whether it is more severe in particular thalamic regions. To quantify whole and regional thalamic volume in males with early-onset psychosis and healthy male controls. Brain scans were obtained for 80 adolescents: 46 individuals with early-onset psychosis with a duration of positive symptoms less than 6 months and 34 healthy controls. All participants were younger than 19 years. Total thalamic volumes were assessed using FreeSurfer and FSL-FIRST, group comparisons of regional thalamic volumes were studied with a surface-based approach. Total thalamic volume was smaller in participants with early-onset psychosis relative to controls. Regional thalamic volume reduction was most significant in the right anterior mediodorsal area and pulvinar. In males with minimally treated early-onset psychosis, thalamic volume deficits may be most pronounced in the anterior mediodorsal and posterior pulvinar regions, adding strength to findings from post-mortem studies in adults with psychosis.