Brain Volumes in Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analysis in Over 18 000 Subjects
Open accessAbstract
Although structural brain alterations in schizophrenia have been demonstrated extensively, their quantitative distribution has not been studied over the last 14 years despite advances in neuroimaging. Moreover, a volumetric meta-analysis has not been conducted in antipsychotic-naive patients. Therefore, meta-analysis on cross-sectional volumetric brain alterations in both medicated and antipsychotic-naive patients was conducted. Three hundred seventeen studies published from September 1, 1998 to January 1, 2012 comprising over 9000 patients were selected for meta-analysis, including 33 studies in antipsychotic-naive patients. In addition to effect sizes, potential modifying factors such as duration of illness, sex composition, current antipsychotic dose, and intelligence quotient matching status of participants were extracted where available. In the sample of medicated schizophrenia patients (n = 8327), intracranial and total brain volume was significantly decreased by 2.0% (effect size d = -0.17) and 2.6% (d = -0.30), respectively. Largest effect sizes were observed for gray matter structures, with effect sizes ranging from -0.22 to -0.58. In the sample of antipsychotic-naive patients (n = 771), volume reductions in caudate nucleus (d = -0.38) and thalamus (d = -0.68) were more pronounced than in medicated patients. White matter volume was decreased to a similar extent in both groups, while gray matter loss was less extensive in antipsychotic-naive patients. Gray matter reduction was associated with longer duration of illness and higher dose of antipsychotic medication at time of scanning. Therefore, brain loss in schizophrenia is related to a combination of (early) neurodevelopmental processes-reflected in intracranial volume reduction-as well as illness progression.
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Schizophrenia is associated with loss of brain tissue, particularly in the frontal and temporal cortices and in some subcortical structures.
“Schizophrenia is associated with loss of brain tissue, in particular in the frontal and temporal cortices as well as in some subcortical structures. 1,2”
From Physical exercise keeps the brain connected: biking increases white matter integrity in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. (2015) · cites this paper as [1]
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- Authors
- Haijma, S. V., Van Haren, N., Cahn, W., Koolschijn, P. C. M. P., Hulshoff Pol, H. E., & Kahn, R. S.
- Affiliations
- University Medical Center Utrecht (NL)
- Leiden University (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Haijma, Sander V.
- Venue
- Schizophrenia Bulletin
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2012-10-05
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1129-1138
- ISSN
- 0586-7614 (ISSN-L)
- 1745-1701
- PMC
- PMC3756785
- OpenAlex
- W2162950935
- Cited by
- 1,012
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 50 · 2025: 62 · 2024: 130 · 2023: 65 · 2022: 88 · 2021: 85 · 2020: 86 · 2019: 84 · 2018: 65 · 2017: 83 · 2016: 78 · 2015: 63 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 5.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Schizophrenia Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Keywords
- schizophrenia, brain volume
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Humans, Schizophrenia
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