Cortical Volume, Surface Area, and Thickness in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

Rimol, Lars M.; Nesvåg, Ragnar; Hagler, Don J.; Bergmann, Ørjan; Fennema-Notestine, Christine; Hartberg, Cecilie B.; Haukvik, Unn K.; Lange, Elisabeth; Pung, Chris J.; Server, Andres; Melle, Ingrid; Andreassen, Ole A.; Agartz, Ingrid; Dale, Anders M.

doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.11.026

« Previous Next »Biological Psychiatry
Volume 71, Issue 6 , Pages 552-560, 15 March 2012

Cortical Volume, Surface Area, and Thickness in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

Lars M. Rimol
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Ulleval, Norway
- Address correspondence to Lars M. Rimol, Ph.D., University of Oslo, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Adult Psychiatry Unit, PO Box 85 Vinderen, Oslo 0319, Norway
Ragnar Nesvåg
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychiatry, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Don J. Hagler Jr.
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
Ørjan Bergmann
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
Christine Fennema-Notestine
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
Cecilie B. Hartberg
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
Unn K. Haukvik
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
Elisabeth Lange
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychiatry, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Chris J. Pung
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
Andres Server
- Department of Neuroradiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Ingrid Melle
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Ulleval, Norway
Ole A. Andreassen
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Ulleval, Norway
Ingrid Agartz
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
- Department of Research and Development, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Anders M. Dale
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California

Received 20 February 2011; received in revised form 22 November 2011; accepted 22 November 2011. published online 27 January 2012.

Background

Magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown that structural brain abnormalities are present in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Most previous studies have focused on brain tissue volumes, but advances in neuroimaging data processing have made it possible to separate cortical area and cortical thickness. The purpose of the present study was to provide a more complete picture of cortical morphometric differences in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, decomposing cortical volume into its constituent parts, cortical thickness and cortical area.

Methods

We analyzed magnetic resonance imaging images from a sample of 173 patients with schizophrenia, 139 patients with bipolar disorder, and 207 healthy control subjects. Maps of cortical volume, area, and thickness across the continuous cortical surface were generated within groups and compared between the groups.

Results

There were widespread reductions in cortical volume in schizophrenia relative to healthy control subjects and patients with bipolar disorder type I. These reductions were mainly driven by cortical thinning, but there were also cortical area reductions in more circumscribed regions, which contributed to the observed volume reductions.

Conclusions

The current surface-based methodology allows for a distinction between cortical thinning and reduction in cortical area and reveals that cortical thinning is the most important factor in volume reduction in schizophrenia. Cortical area reduction was not observed in bipolar disorder type I and may be unique to schizophrenia.

Key Words: Bipolar disorder , cortex , cortical area , FreeSurfer , psychosis , schizophrenia