Brain Signs of Schizophrenia Found in Babies
ScienceDaily (June 21, 2010) — Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental
disorder affecting one in 100 people worldwide. Most cases aren't detected
until a person starts experiencing symptoms like delusions and hallucinations
as a teenager or adult. By that time, the disease has often progressed so far
that it can be difficult to treat.
In a paper published recently online by the American Journal of Psychiatry,
researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Columbia
University provide the first evidence that brain abnormalities associated
with schizophrenia risk are detectable in babies only a few weeks old.
"It allows us to start thinking about how we can identify kids at risk for
schizophrenia very early and whether there things that we can do very early
on to lessen the risk," said lead study author John H. Gilmore, MD, professor
of psychiatry and director of the UNC Schizophrenia Research Center.
The scientists used ultrasound and MRI to examine brain development in 26
babies born to mothers with schizophrenia. Having a first-degree relative
with the disease raises a person's risk of schizophrenia to one in 10. Among
boys, the high-risk babies had larger brains and larger lateral ventricles --
fluid-filled spaces in the brain -- than babies of mothers with no
psychiatric illness.
"Could it be that enlargement is an early marker of a brain that's going to
be different?" Gilmore speculated. Larger brain size in infants is also
associated with autism.
The researchers found no difference in brain size among girls in the study.
This fits the overall pattern of schizophrenia, which is more common, and
often more severe, in males.
The findings do not necessarily mean the boys with larger brains will develop
schizophrenia. Relatives of people with schizophrenia sometimes have subtle
brain abnormalities but exhibit few or no symptoms.
"This is just the very beginning," said Gilmore. "We're following these
children through childhood." The team will continue to measure the children's
brains and will also track their language skills, motor skills and memory
development. They will also continue to recruit women to the study to
increase the sample size.
This research provides the first indication that brain abnormalities
associated with schizophrenia can be detected early in life. Improving early
detection could allow doctors to develop new approaches to prevent high-risk
children from developing the disease. "The research will give us a better
sense of when brain development becomes different," said Gilmore. "And that
will help us target interventions."
The paper is available now online and will be published in the September
issue of the journal. The study was funded by grants from the National
Institute of Mental Health and the Foundation of Hope.
In addition to Gilmore, authors of the study were Chaeryon Kang, Dianne D.
Evans, Honor M. Wolfe, J. Keith Smith, Weili Lin, Robert M. Hamer, Martin
Styner, and Guido Gerig. Author Jeffrey A. Lieberman, chairs the Department
of Psychiatry at Columbia University.
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原始網頁（含腦圖）：
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100621111240.htm
大意就是這篇新聞所附的圖，精神分裂症的高風險族群在嬰兒時期有著比正常人還大的腦
室以及整體腦容積。這個發現只在男嬰上面看到。
但如文章所說，這只是一個很早期的研究，還有很多東西要做。
但還有幾要強調一下，避免誤解
1. 這不是longitudinal study, 只是找有精神分裂症的母親所產下的孩兒和一般婦女所
產下的孩兒比較。精神分裂症的母親所產下的孩兒患有精神分裂症的風險較高。
2. 雖然高風險的精神分裂症病患在嬰兒期有較大的腦室與整體腦容積，但不表示有較大
腦室或者腦容積的嬰兒就有患精神分裂症的風險。
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