Abstract
Objective
Since the first study published in the Lancet in 1976, structural neuroimaging has been used in psychosis with the promise of imminent clinical utility. The actual impact of structural neuroimaging in psychosis is still unclear.
Method
We present here a critical review of studies involving structural magnetic resonance imaging techniques in psychotic patients published between the 1976-2015 in selected journals of relevance for the field. For each study we extracted summary descriptive variables. Additionally we qualitatively described the main structural findings of each articles in summary notes and we employed a biomarker rating system based on quality of evidence (scored 1-4) and effect size (scored 1-4).
Results
80 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were retrieved. The number of studies increased over time, reflecting an increased structural imaging research in psychosis. However, quality of evidence was generally impaired by small samples and unclear biomarker definitions. In particular, there was little attempt of replication of previous findings. The effect sizes ranged from small to modest. No diagnostic or prognostic biomarker for clinical use was identified.
Conclusions
Structural neuroimaging in psychosis research has not yet delivered on the clinical applications that were envisioned.
Since the first study published in the Lancet in 1976, structural neuroimaging has been used in psychosis with the promise of imminent clinical utility. The actual impact of structural neuroimaging in psychosis is still unclear.
Method
We present here a critical review of studies involving structural magnetic resonance imaging techniques in psychotic patients published between the 1976-2015 in selected journals of relevance for the field. For each study we extracted summary descriptive variables. Additionally we qualitatively described the main structural findings of each articles in summary notes and we employed a biomarker rating system based on quality of evidence (scored 1-4) and effect size (scored 1-4).
Results
80 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were retrieved. The number of studies increased over time, reflecting an increased structural imaging research in psychosis. However, quality of evidence was generally impaired by small samples and unclear biomarker definitions. In particular, there was little attempt of replication of previous findings. The effect sizes ranged from small to modest. No diagnostic or prognostic biomarker for clinical use was identified.
Conclusions
Structural neuroimaging in psychosis research has not yet delivered on the clinical applications that were envisioned.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 9 Jun 2016 |