Complementary diffusion tensor imaging study of the corpus callosum in patients with first-episode and chronic schizophrenia

Background: Abnormalities in the corpus callosum have long been implicated in schizophrenia. Previous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies in patients with different durations of schizophrenia yielded inconsistent results. By comparing patients with different durations of schizophrenia, we investigated if white matter abnormalities of the corpus callosum emerge at an early stage in the illness or result from pathological progression. Methods: We recruited patients with first-episode schizophrenia, patients with chronic schizophrenia and age-, sex- and handedness-matched healthy controls. We used 2 DTI techniques (voxel-based and fibre-tracking DTI) to investigate differences in corpus callosum integrity among the 3 groups. Results: With both DTI techniques, significantly decreased fractional anisotropy values were identified in the genu of corpus callosum in patients with chronic schizophrenia, but not first-episode schizophrenia, compared with healthy controls. Limitations: This study was cross-sectional, and the sample size was relatively small. Conclusion: Abnormalities in the genu of the corpus callosum might be a progressive process in schizophrenia, perhaps related to disease severity and prognosis.