Longitudinal assessment of ventricular volume trajectories in early-stage schizophrenia: evidence of both enlargement and shrinkage

Lateral ventricular enlargement represents a canonical morphometric finding in chronic patients with schizophrenia; however, longitudinal studies elucidating complex dynamic trajectories of ventricular volume change during critical early disease stages are sparse. We measured lateral ventricular volumes in 113 first-episode schizophrenia patients (FES) at baseline visit (11.7 months after illness onset, SD = 12.3) and 128 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) using 3T MRI. MRI was then repeated in both FES and HC one year later. Compared to controls, ventricular enlargement was identified in 18.6 •Ventricular shrinkage is as frequent as ventricular enlargement in the early course of the disease. •Ventricular enlargement is associated with the severity of negative symptoms. Limitations •MRI scans were taken at only two time points, which may not capture the full range of changes in ventricular volume that occur throughout the illness. •Not all possible confounding factors that might affect VV changes (such as exposure to infectious agents, smoking, medical comorbidities, and polytherapy) were involved.