Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects 1 percent of the world's population, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A patient with schizophrenia cannot tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, and has issues with thinking and emotions. Neuroimaging research has focused on the different areas of the brain affected by schizophrenia, and if warning signs can be spotted in particular structures.
Prefrontal Cortex
The prefrontal cortex is in the most anterior part of the brain, and is responsible for functions like personality and behavior. In the research article "Brain Structure and Function Changes During the Development of Schizophrenia: The Evidence From Studies of Subjects at Increased Genetic Risk" by Lawrie et al., imaging studies show prefrontal cortex function deteriorates as the disorder develops. Damage to the prefrontal cortex correlates to the flat affect and inappropriate behavior, which are two of the symptoms of schizophrenia listed by the NIH.
Amygdala
The amygdala is part of the limbic system and is involved in a person's emotional response. A patient with schizophrenia has abnormal emotional responses, which leads to the hypothesis that the amygdala is not functionally properly. In Dr. Jason Tregellas' commentary, "Connecting Brain Structure and Function in Schizophrenia," a schizophrenia patient's amygdala had less reactivity to negative faces; later in the commentary, another researcher found the opposite effect. The connection between the amygdala and the subgenual cingulate (an area of the brain involved in mood) is altered in the brain of a schizophrenia patient.
Grey Matter
The grey matter is one of two parts of the central nervous system, which contains the neurons and glial cells in the brain. Tregellas notes in his commentary that less grey matter was found in the schizophrenia patient's superior temporal gyrus; Lawrie et al. echo this finding, stating that the decreased grey matter density in the medial and lateral temporal lobe could be a warning sign of schizophrenia. Tregellas states that it is difficult to correlate the loss of grey matter with schizophrenia symptoms; it could be related to thought disturbances.
White Matter
The white matter is the other part of the central nervous system, which contains the myelinated parts of the neurons; the myelin results in the white color. In his commentary, Tregellas states that the white matter is also decreased in the schizophrenia patient's brain, stemming from abnormalities with the myelin and less oligodendroglial cells. The decreased white matter is correlated with the cognitive impairments of schizophrenia.
References
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Schizophrenia
- Schizophrenia Bulletin, "Brain Structure and Function Changes During the Development of Schizophrenia: The Evidence From Studies of Subjects at Increased Genetic Risk," Lawrie et al.
- The American Journal of Psychiatry, "Connecting Brain Structure and Function in Schizophrenia," Jason Tregellas, Ph.D.
