In recent years, the relationship between the cerebellum and schizophrenia has received renewed attention. Especially among cerebellar lobules, Crus I/II has anatomical and functional connections with the prefrontal cortex where it is associated with schizophrenia symptoms and cognitive impairment; thus, it has been suggested that Crus I/II is involved in schizophrenia. Although it has been reported that progressive brain volume changes occur during schizophrenia, the differences that occur in the structure of Crus I/II are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate how specific morphological features in Crus I/II at different stages of the schizophrenia contribute to the disease. The study recruited 73 participants on the schizophrenia (28 with ultra-high-risk for psychosis, 17 with first-episode schizophrenia, and 28 with chronic schizophrenia) and 79 healthy controls. Using a semiautomated segmentation method optimized for the cerebellum, we undertook a detailed investigation into differences of gray and white matter volumes in Crus I/II. We investigated the differences between the groups and sexes, as well as their interactions. We found that there were significant group×sex interactions in the white matter of bilateral Crus I/II. Males with ultra-high-risk for psychosis demonstrated significantly larger white matter volumes than the other male groups, whereas no significant group differences were found in the female groups. White and gray matter volumes of Crus I/II had positive associations with symptom severity in the ultra-high-risk for psychosis group; on the other hand, gray matter volumes in the first-episode schizophrenia group were negatively associated with symptom severity. The findings of this study indicate that Crus I/II morphology is involved in schizophrenia and has sex and stage differences, and that deviations in the white matter volume of Crus I/II have the potential to be a biological indicator for early detection and treatment of high-risk for developing psychosis patients.
Authors' abstract
Schizophrenia and the Cerebellum: Focusing on the Differences of Clinical Stages and Sex
1 Faculty of Allied Health Science, Niigata University of Rehabilitation
2 Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
3 UTokyo Institute for Diversity and Adaptation of Human Mind
4 Center for Evolutionary Cognitive Sciences, Graduate School of Art and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
5 International Research Center for Neurointelligence, Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo
2 Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
3 UTokyo Institute for Diversity and Adaptation of Human Mind
4 Center for Evolutionary Cognitive Sciences, Graduate School of Art and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
5 International Research Center for Neurointelligence, Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo
Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica
125: 249-257, 2023
https://doi.org/10.57369/pnj.23-037
https://doi.org/10.57369/pnj.23-037
<Keywords:schizophrenia, cerebellum, Crus I/II, clinical stages, sex difference>