Morphological variation and change in the lateral ventricles and caudate nucleus across schizophrenia types: A metric analysis

Philadelphia, PA

Schizophrenia is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects cognitive function, perception, and behavior. The disease affects one percent of the global population and is characterized by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized speech. Other symptoms include a reduction in cognitive function and emotional expression (Hany et al., 2024). Although previous studies focus on three-dimensional (3D) rendering that demonstrate schizophrenic-specific morphology, the variation expressed by different schizophrenia types requires greater focus. This study explores the structural variations in the lateral ventricles and the caudate nucleus across different schizophrenia subtypes, with a focus on potential sex/gender-based differences. We hypothesize that a neuromorphometric analysis utilizing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of patients with Schizophrenia Broad and Schizophrenia Strict disorder will show sex/gender specific variation in the lateral ventricles and caudate nucleus.

To test the hypothesis, a representative sample of 200 cases with individuals of different schizophrenia types 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/gender, and schizophrenia type. 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 (Slicer.org). The software was also utilized to collect measurements and to analyze the shape, volume, and morphological characteristics from specific regions of the lateral ventricles and caudate nucleus. Twenty-four measurements from each 3D model were collected and controlled for size. The data were then analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 30). A General Linear Model Multivariate Analysis of Variance (GLM MANOVA) and a Canonical Discriminant Function were used to examine the relationship between variation in schizophrenia type and sex/gender. Significance was observed at the .05 level.

The results of the GLM MANOVA test and of the Canonical Discriminant Function Analysis show statistically significant differences in the expression of Schizophrenia Broad and Schizophrenia Strict. Furthermore, males and females show variation in the expression of different schizophrenia types. Approximately 87% of the variation in the sample represents differences in the measurements associated with the left and right lateral ventricles. Thirteen percent of the variation results from alterations in caudate head morphology due to changes in lateral ventricle morphology. The findings of this study highlight significant structural and sex/gender-specific variations exist among schizophrenia subtypes. Recognizing these differences are crucial for developing tailored diagnostic and treatment approaches that could improve patient outcomes.