Anatomical abnormalities of the anterior cingulate cortex before the onset of psychosis
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1
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Background: Abnormalities the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are frequently implicated in the pathophysiology of psychotic disorders, but whether such changes are apparent prior to psychosis onset remains unclear. In this study, we characterized pre-psychotic ACC anatomical abnormalities in a sample of individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis.
Methods: Participants underwent baseline magnetic resonance imaging and were followed-up over 12-24 months to ascertain diagnostic outcomes. Baseline ACC morphometry was then compared between UHR individuals who developed psychosis (UHR-P; n=35), those who did not (UHR-NP; n=35), and healthy controls (n=33).
Results: Relative to controls, UHR-P individuals displayed bilateral thinning of a rostral paralimbic ACC region that was negatively correlated with negative symptoms, while UHR-NP individuals displayed a relative thickening of dorsal and rostral limbic areas that was correlated with anxiety ratings. Baseline ACC differences between the two UHR groups predicted time to psychosis onset, independently of symptomatology. Sub-diagnostic comparisons revealed that changes in the UHR-P group were driven by individuals subsequently diagnosed with a schizophrenia-spectrum psychosis.
Conclusions: These findings indicate that anatomical abnormalities of the ACC precede psychosis onset, and that baseline ACC differences distinguish between UHR individuals who do and do not subsequently develop frank psychosis. They also indicate that pre-psychotic changes are relatively specific to individuals who develop a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, suggesting they may represent a diagnostically specific risk marker.
Conference:
10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience, Bodrum, Türkiye, 1 Sep - 5 Sep, 2008.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Citation:
Fornito
A,
Yung
A,
Wood
S,
Phillips
L,
Nelson
B,
Cotton
S,
Velakoulis
D,
McGorry
P,
Pantelis
C and
Yücel
M
(2008). Anatomical abnormalities of the anterior cingulate cortex before the onset of psychosis.
Conference Abstract:
10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience.
doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.01.406
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Received:
17 Dec 2008;
Published Online:
17 Dec 2008.
*
Correspondence:
Alex Fornito, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, fornitoa@unimelb.edu.au