Schizophrenia is reflected in the brain structure of each person
Schizophrenia is a complex disorder that affects perception, thinking and emotions. A new study by the University of Zurich has revealed that these differences in symptoms are also reflected in the structure of the patients' brains.
The symptoms of schizophrenia vary significantly from person to person. While some patients primarily present with perceptual disturbances, others have greater cognitive impairment. "In this sense, there is not just one schizophrenia, but many, each with different neurobiological profiles," explains Wolfgang Omlor, first author of the study published in the ' American Journal of Psychiatry '.
To address these differences, the researchers suggest the need for a precision medicine approach, with therapies tailored to each neurobiological profile. “This requires methods that examine both individual differences and similarities at the neurobiological level,” adds Omlor.
The study analyzed variability in the brain structure of patients with schizophrenia. Various characteristics were assessed, such as the thickness and surface area of the cerebral cortex, the folding pattern and the volume of deeper brain regions.
The data come from the ENIGMA project, an international initiative that collects brain images from more than 6,000 people in 22 countries. Thanks to this large database, researchers were able to compare the brain structure of thousands of patients with schizophrenia with that of healthy individuals, achieving an accurate and reliable assessment of structural differences.
The results suggest that variations in brain structure could be related to differences in symptoms between patients. However, a common feature was also found in all of them: uniformity in brain folding in the mid-frontal area, suggesting a specific developmental pattern in people with schizophrenia.
Since the brain folding process is completed in early childhood, the findings indicate that brain development at this stage is less flexible in patients with schizophrenia, especially in the areas responsible for integrating thought and emotions.
“These findings expand our understanding of the neurobiological basis of schizophrenia,” says Philipp Homan, professor at the University of Zurich and senior author of the study. “While uniformity in brain folding may point to possible mechanisms of disease development, regions with greater structural variability could be key to designing personalized treatments in the future.”
abc
