1. Reward-related brain structures are smaller in patients with schizophrenia and comorbid metabolic syndrome.
- Author
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de Nijs J, Schnack HG, Koevoets MGJC, Kubota M, Kahn RS, van Haren NEM, and Cahn W
- Subjects
- Adult, Brain diagnostic imaging, Cerebral Ventricles diagnostic imaging, Cerebral Ventricles pathology, Comorbidity, Female, Gray Matter diagnostic imaging, Gray Matter pathology, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Metabolic Syndrome diagnostic imaging, Metabolic Syndrome epidemiology, Nerve Net diagnostic imaging, Schizophrenia diagnostic imaging, Schizophrenia epidemiology, Young Adult, Brain pathology, Metabolic Syndrome pathology, Nerve Net pathology, Reward, Schizophrenia pathology
- Abstract
Objective: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is highly prevalent in schizophrenia and often a consequence of unhealthy behaviour. Reward-related brain areas might be associated with MS, since they play a major role in regulating health behaviour. This study examined the relationship between MS and brain volumes related to the reward system in schizophrenia., Method: We included patients with schizophrenia, with MS (MS+; n = 23), patients with schizophrenia, without MS (MS-; n = 48), and healthy controls (n = 54). Global brain volumes and volumes of (sub)cortical areas, part of the reward circuit, were compared between patients and controls. In case of a significant brain volume difference between patients and controls, the impact of MS in schizophrenia was examined., Results: Patients had smaller total brain (TB; P = 0.001), GM (P = 0.010), larger ventricles (P = 0.026), and smaller reward circuit volume (P < 0.001) than controls. MS+ had smaller TB (P = 0.017), GM (P = 0.008), larger ventricles (P = 0.015), and smaller reward circuit volume (P = 0.002) than MS-. MS+ had smaller orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; P = 0.002) and insula volumes (P = 0.005) and smaller OFC (P = 0.008) and insula cortical surface area (P = 0.025) compared to MS-., Conclusion: In schizophrenia, structural brain volume reductions in areas of the reward circuitry appear to be related to comorbid MS., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
- Published
- 2018
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