Background: Progressive cortical gray matter (GM) abnormalities are an established feature of schizophrenia and are more pronounced in rare, severe, and treatment refractory childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) cases. The effect of sex on brain development in schizophrenia is poorly understood and studies to date have produced inconsistent results.
Methods: Using the largest to date longitudinal sample of COS cases (n = 104, scans = 249, Male/Female [M/F] = 57/47), we compared COS sex differences with sex differences in a sample of matched typically developing children (n = 104, scans = 244, M/F = 57/47), to determine whether or not sex had differential effects on cortical and subcortical brain development in COS.
Results: Our results showed no significant differential sex effects in COS for either GM cortical thickness or subcortical volume development (sex × diagnosis × age interaction; false discovery rate q = 0.05).
Conclusion: Sex appears to play a similar role in cortical and subcortical GM development in COS as it does in normally developing children.