Neuromorphometry in Schizophrenia by Computer Algorithm

描述：(由申请人提供)准确定义 精神分裂症的神经解剖学异常(即体积损失、形状 变形和改变的不对称性)可以提供关键证据 确定精神分裂症的发病机制。最近，有一种 对确定这种神经解剖异常是否 显示出随时间推移的渐进式变化。然而，改进的方法论 这类实验需要神经形态计量学。在第一次资助期间 在这个项目期间，我们在开发方面取得了进一步的实质性进展 高维脑地形图(HDBM)。在此续订申请中，我们显示 HDBM可以用来测量大脑结构的体积、形状和 非对称性具有极好的可靠性，并且H1)BM可用于检测 辨别匹配的海马体和扣带回的异常 精神分裂症组和对照组。 我们现在建议收集和分析高分辨率磁共振(MR) 匹配的精神分裂症患者和对照组在相隔两年的三个时间点进行扫描 研究对象。在初始资助期内招募的受试者将返回 这些额外评估，并将补充新的科目，如 需要的。因为其他研究人员认为神经退行性变可能 发生在精神分裂症的早期，我们建议丰富我们的人口 通过添加在第一集中的其他主题 精神分裂症。精神分裂症患者的临床数据将是 在整个研究过程中每季度收集一次，以及其他因素的影响 可能导致大脑结构改变的精神分裂症(例如，酒精)将 在数据分析中仔细评估和考虑。 选定的脑结构体积，由变换派生的复合形状 向量场和由对称群导出的半球对称性 转换将跨选定时间点进行比较。此外, 我们建议确定以下变化之间是否存在关系 临床变量及脑结构体积、形状和不对称性的变化。

DESCRIPTION: (provided by applicant) Precisely defining the characteristics of neuroanatomical abnormalities in schizophrenia (i.e., volume losses, shape deformations and altered asymmetries) can provide critical evidence for determining the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. More recently, there has been substantial interest in determining whether such neuroanatomical abnormalities show progressive changes over time. However, improved methodologies for neuromorphometiy are needed for such experiments. During the first funding period of this project, we made further substantial progress in the development of high dimensional brain mapping (HDBM). In this renewal application, we show that HDBM can be used to measure brain structure volumes, shapes and asymmetries with excellent reliability, and that H1)BM can be used to detect abnormalities of the hippocampus and cingulate gyrus that discriminate matched groups of schizophrenia and control subjects. We now propose to collect and analyze high resolution magnetic resonance (MR) scans at three time points two years apart in matched schizophrenia and control subjects. Subjects recruited during the initial funding period will return for these additional assessments, and will be supplemented by new subjects as needed. Because other researchers have suggested that neurodegeneration may occur early in the course of schizophrenia, we propose to enrich our population of subjects by adding additional subjects who are in their first episode of schizophrenia. Clinical data in the subjects with schizophrenia will be collected quarterly throughout the study, and the impact of factors other than schizophrenia that might cause changes in brain structure (e.g., alcohol) will be carefully assessed and considered in the data analysis. Selected brain structure volumes, composite shapes derived from transformation vector fields, and hemispheric symmetries derived from symmetry group transformations will be compared across the selected time points. In addition, we propose to determine whether there are relationships between changes in clinical variables and changes in brain structure volume, shape and asymmetry.