Date of Award

6-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences

First Advisor

Richard Gonzalez PhD

Second Advisor

Heather L. Motie, PhD

Third Advisor

Brian J. Balin, PhD

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that alters cognitive function, perception, and behavior. The disorder affects one percent of the global population and is characterized by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, cognitive function, and emotional expression (Hany et al., 2024). While previous research involves three-dimensional (3D) renderings of subcortical structures that demonstrate schizophrenic-specific morphology (Narr et al., 2001; Zhang et al., 2023), the variation expressed by different schizophrenia subtypes require greater focus. This research study explores the structural variations in the lateral ventricles and the caudate nucleus across different schizophrenia subtypes, emphasizing potential sexbased differences. This study hypothesized that a neuromorphometric analysis utilizing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of patients with Schizophrenia Broad and Schizophrenia Strict disorder would show sex-specific variation in the lateral ventricles and caudate nucleus. To test the hypothesis, a representative sample of 200 cases of individuals with different schizophrenia subtypes and a control group were selected from the SchizConnect database, a large-scale database and neuroimaging data portal (schizconnect.org). The cases were organized based on age, sex, and schizophrenia subtype. Three-dimensional renderings of the lateral ventricles and caudate nucleus were created using 3D Slicer, an open-source software for visualization, processing, segmentation, rendering, and analysis of medical images (Fedorov et al., 2012). Specific points were identified for each 3D model, with twenty-four measurements collected and controlled for size. The data were then analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (IBM SPSS Statistics Version 30). A General Linear Model Multivariate Analysis of Variance (GLM MANOVA) and a Canonical Discriminant Function Analysis were used to examine the relationship between variation in schizophrenia subtype and sex. The results of the GLM MANOVA test and of the Canonical Discriminant Function Analysis showed statistically significant differences between those diagnosed with Schizophrenia Broad and Schizophrenia Strict. Furthermore, males and females showed variation between the different schizophrenia subtypes. Approximately 87% of the observed variation reflected differences in measurements associated with the left and right lateral ventricles. Thirteen percent of the variation resulted from alterations in caudate nucleus head morphology due to changes in lateral ventricle morphology. The findings of this study highlight that significant structural and sex-specific variations exist among schizophrenia subtypes. More specifically, males displayed the greatest variation when compared to females. Males diagnosed with Schizophrenia Broad have the greatest change in caudate nucleus head morphology, while those diagnosed with Schizophrenia Strict have the greatest change in lateral ventricle morphology. Accurate recognition of these morphological differences is critical to further develop personalized diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to optimize patient outcomes.

Download

Share

COinS