Enlarged hypothalamic volumes in schizophrenia

Stefania Tognin; Gianluca Rambaldelli; Cinzia Perlini; Marcella Bellani; Veronica Marinelli; Giada Zoccatelli; Franco Alessandrini; Francesca Benedetta Pizzini; Alberto Beltramello; Robert Terlevic; Michele Tansella; Matteo Balestrieri; Paolo Brambilla

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2012.10.006

Enlarged hypothalamic volumes in schizophrenia

Stefania Tognin, Gianluca Rambaldelli, Cinzia Perlini, Marcella Bellani, Veronica Marinelli, Giada Zoccatelli, Franco Alessandrini, Francesca Benedetta Pizzini, Alberto Beltramello, Robert Terlevic, Michele Tansella, Matteo Balestrieri, Paolo Brambilla^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychosis Studies

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

37 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Hypothalamic abnormalities in schizophrenia have been associated with endocrine dysfunctions and stress response. The hypothalamus is involved in several pathways found disrupted in schizophrenia (e.g. hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, HPA axis); however the available results on potential structural hypothalamic alterations are still controversial. The aim of the study was to investigate the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Twenty-six patients with schizophrenia and 26 healthy controls underwent a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Hypothalamus and mammillary bodies were manually traced by a rater who was blind to subjects' identity. The General Linear Model was used in group comparisons of the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies. The hypothalamus and mammillary body volumes were significantly larger in patients with schizophrenia than controls, with significant enlargement of the left hypothalamus and trends for significantly increased right hypothalamus and right mammillary body. The size of the mammillary bodies was inversely correlated with negative symptoms and directly correlated with anxiety. This study showed abnormally increased sizes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies in schizophrenia. Mammillary bodies volumes were associated to negative symptoms and anxiety. Future longitudinal studies on the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies with respect to the levels of related hormones will clarify their role in modulating HPA axis in schizophrenia.

Original language	English
Article number	N/A
Pages (from-to)	75-81
Number of pages	7
Journal	Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging
Volume	204
Issue number	2-3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2012.10.006
Publication status	Published - 30 Nov 2012

Keywords

Hypothalamus
Mammillary bodies
Volume
MRI
Schizophrenia
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
PITUITARY-ADRENAL AXIS
DEXAMETHASONE SUPPRESSION TEST
ULTRA-HIGH-RISK
1ST-EPISODE PSYCHOSIS
MAMILLARY BODY
MENTAL-HEALTH
PARAVENTRICULAR NUCLEUS
ANTIPSYCHOTIC TREATMENT
MAMMILLARY BODIES
STRESS

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10.1016/j.pscychresns.2012.10.006

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title = "Enlarged hypothalamic volumes in schizophrenia",

abstract = "Hypothalamic abnormalities in schizophrenia have been associated with endocrine dysfunctions and stress response. The hypothalamus is involved in several pathways found disrupted in schizophrenia (e.g. hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, HPA axis); however the available results on potential structural hypothalamic alterations are still controversial. The aim of the study was to investigate the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Twenty-six patients with schizophrenia and 26 healthy controls underwent a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Hypothalamus and mammillary bodies were manually traced by a rater who was blind to subjects' identity. The General Linear Model was used in group comparisons of the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies. The hypothalamus and mammillary body volumes were significantly larger in patients with schizophrenia than controls, with significant enlargement of the left hypothalamus and trends for significantly increased right hypothalamus and right mammillary body. The size of the mammillary bodies was inversely correlated with negative symptoms and directly correlated with anxiety. This study showed abnormally increased sizes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies in schizophrenia. Mammillary bodies volumes were associated to negative symptoms and anxiety. Future longitudinal studies on the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies with respect to the levels of related hormones will clarify their role in modulating HPA axis in schizophrenia.",

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author = "Stefania Tognin and Gianluca Rambaldelli and Cinzia Perlini and Marcella Bellani and Veronica Marinelli and Giada Zoccatelli and Franco Alessandrini and Pizzini, {Francesca Benedetta} and Alberto Beltramello and Robert Terlevic and Michele Tansella and Matteo Balestrieri and Paolo Brambilla",

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language = "English",

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T1 - Enlarged hypothalamic volumes in schizophrenia

AU - Tognin, Stefania

AU - Rambaldelli, Gianluca

AU - Perlini, Cinzia

AU - Bellani, Marcella

AU - Marinelli, Veronica

AU - Zoccatelli, Giada

AU - Alessandrini, Franco

AU - Pizzini, Francesca Benedetta

AU - Beltramello, Alberto

AU - Terlevic, Robert

AU - Tansella, Michele

AU - Balestrieri, Matteo

AU - Brambilla, Paolo

PY - 2012/11/30

Y1 - 2012/11/30

N2 - Hypothalamic abnormalities in schizophrenia have been associated with endocrine dysfunctions and stress response. The hypothalamus is involved in several pathways found disrupted in schizophrenia (e.g. hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, HPA axis); however the available results on potential structural hypothalamic alterations are still controversial. The aim of the study was to investigate the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Twenty-six patients with schizophrenia and 26 healthy controls underwent a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Hypothalamus and mammillary bodies were manually traced by a rater who was blind to subjects' identity. The General Linear Model was used in group comparisons of the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies. The hypothalamus and mammillary body volumes were significantly larger in patients with schizophrenia than controls, with significant enlargement of the left hypothalamus and trends for significantly increased right hypothalamus and right mammillary body. The size of the mammillary bodies was inversely correlated with negative symptoms and directly correlated with anxiety. This study showed abnormally increased sizes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies in schizophrenia. Mammillary bodies volumes were associated to negative symptoms and anxiety. Future longitudinal studies on the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies with respect to the levels of related hormones will clarify their role in modulating HPA axis in schizophrenia.

AB - Hypothalamic abnormalities in schizophrenia have been associated with endocrine dysfunctions and stress response. The hypothalamus is involved in several pathways found disrupted in schizophrenia (e.g. hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, HPA axis); however the available results on potential structural hypothalamic alterations are still controversial. The aim of the study was to investigate the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Twenty-six patients with schizophrenia and 26 healthy controls underwent a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Hypothalamus and mammillary bodies were manually traced by a rater who was blind to subjects' identity. The General Linear Model was used in group comparisons of the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies. The hypothalamus and mammillary body volumes were significantly larger in patients with schizophrenia than controls, with significant enlargement of the left hypothalamus and trends for significantly increased right hypothalamus and right mammillary body. The size of the mammillary bodies was inversely correlated with negative symptoms and directly correlated with anxiety. This study showed abnormally increased sizes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies in schizophrenia. Mammillary bodies volumes were associated to negative symptoms and anxiety. Future longitudinal studies on the volumes of the hypothalamus and the mammillary bodies with respect to the levels of related hormones will clarify their role in modulating HPA axis in schizophrenia.

KW - Hypothalamus

KW - Mammillary bodies

KW - Volume

KW - MRI

KW - Schizophrenia

KW - Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

KW - PITUITARY-ADRENAL AXIS

KW - DEXAMETHASONE SUPPRESSION TEST

KW - ULTRA-HIGH-RISK

KW - 1ST-EPISODE PSYCHOSIS

KW - MAMILLARY BODY

KW - MENTAL-HEALTH

KW - PARAVENTRICULAR NUCLEUS

KW - ANTIPSYCHOTIC TREATMENT

KW - MAMMILLARY BODIES

KW - STRESS

U2 - 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2012.10.006

DO - 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2012.10.006

M3 - Article

SN - 0925-4927

VL - 204

SP - 75

EP - 81

JO - Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging

JF - Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging

IS - 2-3

M1 - N/A

ER -

Enlarged hypothalamic volumes in schizophrenia

Abstract

Keywords

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