Background
A number of studies have provided evidence for genetic modulation of brain structure
in unaffected family members (FM) of schizophrenia patients using conventional volumetric
analysis. High-dimensional pattern classification methods have been reported to have
the capacity to determine subtle and spatially complex structural patterns that distinguish
schizophrenia patients from healthy control subjects using standard magnetic resonance
imaging. This study investigates whether such endophenotypic patterns are found in
FM via similar image analysis approaches.
Methods
A high-dimensional pattern classifier was constructed from a group of 69 patients
and 79 control subjects, via an analysis that identified a subtle and spatially complex
pattern of reduced brain volumes. The constructed classifier was applied to examine
brain structure of 30 FM.
Results
The classifier indicated that FM had highly overlapping structural profiles with those
of patients. Moreover, an orbitofrontal region of relatively increased white matter
was found to contribute significantly to the classification, indicating that white
matter alterations, along with reductions of gray matter volumes, might be present
in patients and unaffected FM.
Conclusions
These findings provide evidence that high-dimensional pattern classification can identify
complex and subtle structural endophenotypes that are shared by probands and their
unaffected FM.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 08, 2007
Accepted:
March 14,
2007
Received in revised form:
February 17,
2007
Received:
September 19,
2006
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
