What is it about?
Most previous research examining the differences that exist between the structure of the brain in people with schizophrenia and healthy individuals has compared averages of brain measurements in the two groups. This ignores the differences that exist within each group and therefore misses the potential opportunity to better understand this illness.
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Why is it important?
In this study we compared the amount of variation that exists in the brain measurements of people with schizophrenia with those of healthy individuals. We found that some structural measurements are more variable in people with schizophrenia compared to healthy people. These include both the thickness and the surface area of the outer layer of the brain and the volume of the inner part of the brain. Conversely, the folding pattern in one of the outer parts of the brain was found to be less variable in people with schizophrenia. This study provides new information about the differences that exist between the brains of people with schizophrenia and those who are healthy. The findings highlight the importance of examining the variation of brain measurements within a single disorder and provide information which could inform the development of improved treatment strategies for schizophrenia.
Perspectives
It was a pleasure to work with a large and diverse group of clinicians and researchers to conduct this research and to write up the results. We hope that our findings stimulate further research which further enhances understanding of schizophrenia.
Prof. Philipp Homan
University of Zurich
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Estimating Multimodal Structural Brain Variability in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A Worldwide ENIGMA Study, American Journal of Psychiatry, April 2025, American Psychiatric Association,
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230806.
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