Psychiatry - Research Publications

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Author: Bartholomeusz, Cali × Author: McGorry, Patrick × Author: Nelson, Christopher × Author: Pantelis, Christos × Author: Wood, Stephen × End date: 2020 × Start date: 2020 ×

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    Impaired olfactory ability associated with larger left hippocampus and rectus volumes at earliest stages of schizophrenia: A sign of neuroinflammation?
    Masaoka, Y ; Velakoulis, D ; Brewer, WJ ; Cropley, VL ; Bartholomeusz, CF ; Yung, AR ; Nelson, B ; Dwyer, D ; Wannan, CMJ ; Izumizaki, M ; McGorry, PD ; Wood, SJ ; Pantelis, C (ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD, 2020-07)
    Impaired olfactory identification has been reported as a first sign of schizophrenia during the earliest stages of illness, including before illness onset. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between volumes of these regions (amygdala, hippocampus, gyrus rectus and orbitofrontal cortex) and olfactory ability in three groups of participants: healthy control participants (Ctls), patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FE-Scz) and chronic schizophrenia patients (Scz). Exploratory analyses were performed in a sample of individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis in a co-submission paper (Masaoka et al., 2020). The relationship to brain structural measures was not apparent prior to psychosis onset, but was only evident following illness onset, with a different pattern of relationships apparent across illness stages (FE-Scz vs Scz). Path analysis found that lower olfactory ability was related to larger volumes of the left hippocampus and gyrus rectus in the FE-Scz group. We speculate that larger hippocampus and rectus in early schizophrenia are indicative of swelling, potentially caused by an active neurochemical or immunological process, such as inflammation or neurotoxicity, which is associated with impaired olfactory ability. The volumetric decreases in the chronic stage of Scz may be due to degeneration resulting from an active immune process and its resolution.
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    Does cortical brain morphology act as a mediator between childhood trauma and transition to psychosis in young individuals at ultra-high risk?
    Rapado-Castro, M ; Whittle, S ; Pantelis, C ; Thompson, A ; Nelson, B ; Ganella, EP ; Lin, A ; Reniers, RLEP ; McGorry, PD ; Yung, AR ; Wood, SJ ; Bartholomeusz, CF (ELSEVIER, 2020-10)
    BACKGROUND: Childhood trauma, particularly sexual abuse, has been associated with transition to psychosis in individuals at "ultra-high risk" (UHR). This study investigated whether the effects of various forms of childhood trauma on transition to psychosis are mediated by cortical thickness and surface area abnormalities. METHODS: This prospective study used data from 62 UHR individuals from a previous (PACE 400) cohort study. At follow-up, 24 individuals had transitioned to psychosis (UHR-T) and 38 individuals had not transitioned (UHR-NT). Student-t/Mann-Whitney-U tests were performed to assess morphological differences in childhood trauma (low/high) and transition. Mediation analyses were conducted using regression and bootstrapping techniques. RESULTS: UHR individuals with high sexual trauma histories presented with decreased cortical thickness in bilateral middle temporal gyri and the left superior frontal gyrus compared to those with low sexual trauma. Participants with high physical abuse had increased cortical thickness in the right middle frontal gyrus compared to those with low physical abuse. No differences were found for emotional abuse or physical/emotional neglect. Reduced cortical thickness in the right middle temporal gyrus and increased surface area in the right cingulate were found in UHR-T compared to UHR-NT individuals. Sexual abuse had an indirect effect on transition to psychosis, where decreased cortical thickness in the right middle temporal gyrus was a mediator. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that childhood sexual abuse negatively impacted on cortical development of the right temporal gyrus, and this heightened the risk of transition to psychosis in our sample. Further longitudinal studies are needed to precisely understand this link.