Abstract
Background. Cortical folding of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), specifically the cingulate (CS) and the paracingulate (PCS) sulci, represents a neurodevelopmental marker.
Deviations in the in utero development in schizophrenia could therefore be traced using CS and PCS morphometry. Methods.
T1 MRI of the CS and the PCS in 93 patients with first- episode schizophrenia (patients) and 42 controls were studied. The length of the CS, PCS and their segments were measured.
The frequency and the left-right asymmetry of CS/PCS were compared in patients and controls. Results.
Distribution of the CS and the PCS morphotypes in patients was different from controls. Parcellated sulcal pattern CS3a in the left hemisphere was longer in patients (53.8 +- 25.7 mm vs 32.7 +- 19.4 mm in controls, p<0.05) but in CS3c it was reversed - longer in controls (52.5 +- 22.5 mm) compared to patients (36.2 +- 12.9 mm, n.s.).
Non parcellated PCS in the right hemisphere was longer in patients compared to controls (19.4 +- 10.2 mm vs 12.1 +- 12.4 mm, p<0.001). Conclusion.
It is possible to postulate that the concurrent presence of PCS1 and CS1 in the left hemisphere and to some extent in the right hemisphere suggests a higher probability of schizophrenia.Our study expands previous studies of the ACC sulcal pattern in patients with schizophrenia.