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Structural abnormalities of the brain in schizophrenia: sex differences in the Cantabria First Episode of Schizophrenia Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

J. L. Vázquez-Barquero ,
M. J. Cuesta Núñez ,
F. Quintana Pando ,
M. De La Varga ,
S. Herrera Castanedo  and
G. Dunn
J. L. Vázquez-Barquero*
Affiliation:
Social Psychiatry Research Unit of Cantabria and the Neuro-Radiology Service, University Hospital ‘Marqués de Valdecilla’, Cantabria University, Santander, Spain; Department of Biostatistics and Computing, Institute of Psychiatry, London
M. J. Cuesta Núñez
Affiliation:
Social Psychiatry Research Unit of Cantabria and the Neuro-Radiology Service, University Hospital ‘Marqués de Valdecilla’, Cantabria University, Santander, Spain; Department of Biostatistics and Computing, Institute of Psychiatry, London
F. Quintana Pando
Affiliation:
Social Psychiatry Research Unit of Cantabria and the Neuro-Radiology Service, University Hospital ‘Marqués de Valdecilla’, Cantabria University, Santander, Spain; Department of Biostatistics and Computing, Institute of Psychiatry, London
M. De La Varga
Affiliation:
Social Psychiatry Research Unit of Cantabria and the Neuro-Radiology Service, University Hospital ‘Marqués de Valdecilla’, Cantabria University, Santander, Spain; Department of Biostatistics and Computing, Institute of Psychiatry, London
S. Herrera Castanedo
Affiliation:
Social Psychiatry Research Unit of Cantabria and the Neuro-Radiology Service, University Hospital ‘Marqués de Valdecilla’, Cantabria University, Santander, Spain; Department of Biostatistics and Computing, Institute of Psychiatry, London
G. Dunn
Affiliation:
Social Psychiatry Research Unit of Cantabria and the Neuro-Radiology Service, University Hospital ‘Marqués de Valdecilla’, Cantabria University, Santander, Spain; Department of Biostatistics and Computing, Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Professor J. L. Vázquez-Barquero, Social Psychiatry Research Unit of Cantabria, University Hospital ‘Marqués de Valdecilla’, Avda, Valdecilla s/n, 39008—Santander, Spain.
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Synopsis

This paper examines structural brain abnormalities, as evaluated by the CT scan, in first episodes of schizophrenia and their association with sociodemographic, diagnostic and clinical variables. The investigation included all patients with a first episode of schizophrenia who, over a 2-year period, made contact with any of the public mental health services of the Autonomous Region of Cantabria in Northern Spain. Diagnostic and clinical characteristics were evaluated through the use of the Spanish version of the Present State Examination (PSE-9) and the Scales for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms (SANS and SAPS respectively). The study demonstrated the presence of structural brain abnormalities in this sample of first episode schizophrenics. These abnormalities were mainly expressed in the presence of larger VBR for schizophrenic patients than in the controls, these findings being more marked in women than in men. We failed to reveal, however, any evidence of an association of these brain abnormalities with diagnostic or clinical characteristics.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 6 , November 1995 , pp. 1247 - 1257
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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