A novel diagnosis method for schizophrenia based on globus pallidus data

This research aims to diagnose schizophrenia with machine learning-based algorithms. Bayesian neural network, logistic regression, decision tree, k-nearest neighbor, and gaussian kernel classification techniques are investigated to diagnose schizophrenia with data from 125 persons. This study showed that left lateral ventricles and left globus pallidus volumes and their percentages in the brain were significantly lower than HCs in FEP patients. Using brain volumes, we were able to diagnose FEP with an accuracy of 73.6 % via logistic regression and with an accuracy of 86.4 % using the SVM kernel classifier method. Therefore, brain volumes can be used to diagnose FEP with the SVM kernel classifier method.

Reduced olfactory bulb volume and olfactory sulcus depth in obsessive compulsive disorder

Many studies have shown that limbic system abnormalities are seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but the neurobiological changes in OCD are still unclear. Moreover, olfactory bulb volume (OBV) and its association with symptom severity have not been yet investigated in patients with OCD. This is the first study on OBV and olfactory sulcus depth (OSD) values in OCD patients, to the best of our knowledge. Between January 2018 and March 2022, 25 patients with OCD and 26 healthy controls with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were included. Detailed disease history of OCD patients was taken, and Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale (YBOCS) was applied. The mean age of the patient group was 33.40±9.58, the mean age of the control group was 32.84±8.01. LOBV, ROBV, TOBV, and LOSD in the patient group were significantly lower than in the control group (p=.013, p=.005, p=.001, p=.015, respectively). ROBV and TOBV were negatively correlated with YBOCS total and subscale scores. A negative correlation was found between ROBV and TOBV and disease duration (r=-0.749 and r=-0.640, respectively). The negative correlation of ROBV and TOBV values with disease duration and disease severity can be used to monitor the neurodegenerative process of OCD disease.

Comparison of Incidental Findings of Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Schizophrenia Patients, First-Episode Psychosis Patients and Healthy Controls

BACKGROUND

It has been emphasized for a long time that neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative processes play an important role in the etiology of schizophrenia.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In this study, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 97 patients with schizophrenia (SCH), 42 first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients, and 70 healthy controls (HC) were analyzed, and abnormal findings on brain MRI were recorded. Participant's age, gender, and brain MRI findings were recorded retrospectively. Fazekas grades evaluated the distribution of white matter hyperintensities in the brain.

RESULTS

The mean ages of FEP, SCH, and HC were 24.8±6.3, 36.9±11.5, and 36±10.5, respectively. Generalized cerebral atrophy was higher in SCH and HC than in FEP groups, and frontoparietal atrophy was higher in the SCH group than in HC and FEP groups (p<0.001). The percentage of Fazekas Grade-1 was higher in the SCH group than HC and FEP groups (p=0.006). Additionally, the cavum veli interpositi (CVI) rate was higher in FEP and SCH groups than in the HC group (p=0.042).

CONCLUSION

Although there was no significant age difference between the SCH and HC groups, the higher prevalence of generalized cerebral atrophy in the SCH group may indicate the neurodegenerative process of schizophrenia. The fact that CVI, a congenital brain anomaly, was detected more frequently in the FEP and SCH groups may suggest that schizophrenia may be associated with neurodevelopmental process.