Article

Superior temporal gyrus volume in antipsychotic-naive people at risk of psychosis.

Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, c/o National Neuroscience Facility, 161 Barry Street, Carlton South, Victoria 3053, Australia. .
The British journal of psychiatry: the journal of mental science (impact factor: 6.62). 03/2010; 196(3):206-11. DOI:10.1192/bjp.bp.109.069732 pp.206-11
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Morphological abnormalities of the superior temporal gyrus have been consistently reported in schizophrenia, but the timing of their occurrence remains unclear.
To determine whether individuals exhibit superior temporal gyral changes before the onset of psychosis.
We used magnetic resonance imaging to examine grey matter volumes of the superior temporal gyrus and its subregions (planum polare, Heschl's gyrus, planum temporale, and rostral and caudal regions) in 97 antipsychotic-naive individuals at ultra-high risk of psychosis, of whom 31 subsequently developed psychosis and 66 did not, and 42 controls.
Those at risk of psychosis had significantly smaller superior temporal gyri at baseline compared with controls bilaterally, without any prominent subregional effect; however, there was no difference between those who did and did not subsequently develop psychosis.
Our findings indicate that grey matter reductions of the superior temporal gyrus are present before psychosis onset, and are not due to medication, but these baseline changes are not predictive of transition to psychosis.

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    Article: The staging model in schizophrenia, and its clinical implications.
    Mark Agius, Cindy Goh, Sophia Ulhaq, Patrick McGorry
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Illnesses which develop in a complex way are best described in stages, and those stages will describe not only a particular point in the course of the disease but also the appropriate treatment for that stage. This approach has, over the years, proved to be very appropriate for planning the treatment of various cancers. It is suggested that in the same way, it can be very important in planning the treatment of a complex illness such as schizophrenia. We aim to describe the staging model of schizophrenia, show the neuroimaging and clinical evidence for it, and discuss its implications for treatment. We propose that the development of schizophrenia can be described in at least three stages; the prodrome, the first episode, and the chronic phase. In order to describe these stages, we will use data derived wherever possible from literature published in Europe, and we will compare this with data produced from other continents of the world, notably Australia. This is done by reference to and examination of the original published literature, in order that this evidence may be tested against criteria for evidence of a staging model which we propose. There is much data, from clinical studies which show that schizophrenia develops over time and that its presentation can be described in at least three stages in the development of a schizophrenic illness; the prodrome, the first episode, and the long term chronic phase. It is also true that there is a pre-morbid phase before the prodrome, where it is possible to identify delays in such signs of early neurodevelopment as early paediatric milestones which may suggest an increased risk of schizophrenia in the future. This is mirrored in descriptions of the MRI findings, with loss of gray matter beginning in the prodrome, as well as in changes in cognition which develop as the illness develops over time. It follows from this model that treatment is different in all these three stages, and that the expected outcome of treatment will be different in each of the various stages of the illness. In all the phases of the illness, evidence based psychological interventions, including psycho-education, cognitive therapy, family interventions, and other interventions to prevent relapse work together with medication in order to optimise treatment. Consequently, any attempt to optimise treatment in schizophrenia must take into account the different stages of the illness, and target outcomes must be appropriate for these stages. The treatments, both pharmacological and psychological must be appropriate to the stage of the disease. The application of treatment protocols which are inappropriate to the stage of the disease may lead to sub-optimal outcomes, and even to iatrogenic harm.
    Psychiatria Danubina 06/2010; 22(2):211-20. · 0.44 Impact Factor
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

97 antipsychotic-naive individuals
 
baseline changes
 
controls bilaterally
 
grey matter reductions
 
grey matter volumes
 
Heschl's gyrus
 
individuals exhibit superior temporal gyral changes
 
magnetic resonance imaging
 
Morphological abnormalities
 
prominent subregional effect
 
psychosis
 
psychosis onset
 
rostral
 
subregions
 
superior temporal gyrus
 
ultra-high risk