[Anatomic Abnormalities of Hippocampal Subfields in First-Episode Drug-Naïve Schizophrenia and Major Depressive Disorder: A Structural MRI Comparative Study]

Sichuan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban. 2023 Mar;54(2):275-280. doi: 10.12182/20230360209.
[Article in Chinese]

Abstract
in English, Chinese

Objective: To compare the structural changes along the longitudinal axis of hippocampus subfields between schizophrenia (SCZ) patients and major depressive disorder (MDD) patients in the early stage of their SCZ and MDD.

Methods: Seventy-nine first-episode drug-naïve patients with SCZ, 48 first-episode drug-naïve patients with MDD, and 79 healthy controls (HC) were recruited and underwent assessment of clinical symptoms and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head. Following the calculation of hippocampal and subfield volumes with FreeSurfer, the volume of longitudinal subfields were summed up. Inter-group comparison of these indicators was made with the data of different groups and the correlation between clinical symptoms and the volumes of longitudinal subfields was analyzed.

Results: Compared with HC, SCZ patients had smaller bilateral posterior hippocampus (left: t=－2.69, P=0.01; right: t=－2.90, P=0.004), while MDD patients exhibited no changes along the longitudinal axis of hippocampal subfields. In SCZ patients, the volume of bilateral posterior hippocampus was negatively correlated with the negative symptom scores of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (left: r=－0.29, P=0.01; right: r=－0.23, P=0.04).

Conclusion: The smaller posterior hippocampus may be an imaging feature for distinguishing SCZ from MDD and may have contributed to the neuropathophysiological mechanism of SCZ in the early stage of the onset of the disease.

目的: 比较精神分裂症（schizophrenia, SCZ）和重度抑郁症（major depressive disorder, MDD）患者的海马亚区在发病早期沿纵轴的结构性改变。

方法: 纳入79例首发未治疗SCZ患者、48例首发未治疗MDD患者及79例健康对照（healthy control, HC），进行临床症状评估和头部磁共振成像，采用FreeSurfer软件测量海马及原始亚区体积，合并计算纵轴亚区体积，对上述指标进行组间比较并分析临床-纵轴亚区体积的相关性。

结果: 与HC相比，SCZ患者海马后部体积缩小（左侧t=−2.69，P=0.01；右侧t=−2.90，P=0.004），MDD患者纵轴亚区体积无差异。SCZ患者的海马后部体积与阴性症状评分呈负相关（左侧r=−0.29，P=0.01；右侧r=−0.23，P=0.04）。

结论: 海马后部缩小可能是早期鉴别SCZ和MDD的影像特征，并可能参与了SCZ发病早期的神经病理生理学机制。

Keywords: First-episode drug-naïve; Hippocampal subfield; Major depressive disorder; Schizophrenia.

Publication types

  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Depressive Disorder, Major* / diagnostic imaging
  • Hippocampus / diagnostic imaging
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Schizophrenia* / diagnostic imaging

Grants and funding

国家自然科学基金（No. 82102000、No. 82120108014、No. 82071908）和四川省自然科学基金（No. 2022NSFSC1496）资助