Cerebral structural pathology in schizophrenia: evidence for a selective prefrontal cortical defect

To replicate earlier findings of central and cortical cerebral structural abnormalities and to further examine specific prefrontal cortical irregularities in schizophrenia, the authors examined computerized tomographic (CT) scans of 71 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 30 normal volunteer control subjects for ventricle- brain ratio (VBR), third ventricle width, and prominence of cortical markings in a generalized (parieto-occipital) distribution compared with the prefrontal area. Patients showed significantly larger VBRs and third ventricle widths than control subjects. Patients also showed significantly greater prefrontal markings in terms of both the number of individuals affected and the degree of difference. The relative differences on measures of VBR and prefrontal atrophy did not appear gender related, but the difference in third ventricle width between schizophrenic and control women was greater than that between schizophrenic and control men.