Altered thickness and surface area of the anterior cingulate cortex in individuals at high risk for psychosis
Poster B59, Friday, October 21, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Le Baron
Yoichiro Takayanagi1, Sue Kulason2, Daiki Sasabayashi1, Tsutomu Takahashi1, Naoyuki Katagiri3, Atsushi Sakuma4, Chika Obara4, Kazunori Matsumoto4, Masafumi Mizuno3, Tilak Ratnanather2, Michio Suzuki1; 1University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2Johns Hopkins University, 3Toho University School of Medicine, 4Tohoku University School of Medicine
Background: Despite the fact that only a part of the individuals with at-risk mental states (ARMS) for psychosis do develop psychosis, biological markers of future transition to psychosis have not been well documented. Structural abnormality of the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG), which probably exists prior to the onset of psychosis, could be such a risk marker. Methods: We conducted a multi-center magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of 3 scanning sites in Japan. 1.5-T 3D MRI scans were obtained from 73 ARMS subjects and 74 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. We measured thickness, volume, and surface area of the ACG using labeled cortical distance mapping (LCDM) and compared these measures among healthy controls, ARMS subjects who later converted to overt psychosis (ARMS-C), and those who did not (ARMS-NC). Results: Seventeen of 73 (23%) ARMS subjects developed overt psychosis after MRI scanning. The thickness of the left ACG was significantly reduced in ARMS-C relative to healthy subjects (p = 0.026) while both ARMS-C (p = 0.001) and ARMS-NC (p = 0.01) had larger surface areas of the left ACG compared with healthy controls. Conclusion: Our results suggest that cortical thinning of the left ACG can be a potential marker of future transition to psychosis, while larger surface area of the ACG may be related to prodromal symptoms of psychosis.
Topic Area: Neuroimaging