Modelling the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and methamphetamine-induced psychosis: A structural magnetic resonance imaging and cytokine study
type: CreativeWork
description: Background: There is overlap in the symptomatology and psychobiology of schizophrenia (SCZ) and methamphetamine-induced psychosis (MAP). In schizophrenia there are reports of significant associations of increased severity of psychotic symptoms with thinner frontal cortex and decreased hippocampus and amygdala volume, and there is evidence of increased TNF-α and interleukin (IL)-1β concentrations compared to healthy controls. However, no studies to date have 1) compared structural findings in SCZ and MAP, 2) investigated the associations of psychotic symptom severity and duration with brain volumes and cytokine concentrations in SCZ and MAP and 3) determined the effect of antipsychotic type on brain measures in SCZ compared to MAP. Methods: 36 patients with SCZ, 27 with MAP, and 32 healthy controls underwent clinical interview, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and phlebotomy. Symptom severity was assessed with the positive and negative symptom scales (PANSS). Volumes of the amygdala, hippocampus and basal ganglia and frontal cortical thickness and surface area were processed with FreeSurfer. TNF-α, IL-1β, -8, -12 and IFN-γ concentrations in serum, were assessed with a Luminex assay. ANOVAs were used to compare structural findings across groups, group differences for cytokine concentrations, number of psychotic episodes, symptom severity and to determine the effect of antipsychotics (AP) type on structural brain volumes and frontal cortical thickness in SCZ and MAP. Spearman's Rank and Pearson's correlations were used to determine associations of symptom severity, number of psychotic episodes and duration of illness with structural brain measures and cytokine concentrations. Results: 1) Decreased left amygdala volumes were reported in SCZ and MAP compared to CON, 2) increased right caudate and bilateral putamen and NAcc (nucleus accumbens) volumes were reported in SCZ compared to MAP and CON , with increased right pallidus volumes in SCZ compared to MAP, 3)…
abstract: Background: There is overlap in the symptomatology and psychobiology of schizophrenia (SCZ) and methamphetamine-induced psychosis (MAP). In schizophrenia there are reports of significant associations of increased severity of psychotic symptoms with thinner frontal cortex and decreased hippocampus and amygdala volume, and there is evidence of increased TNF-α and interleukin (IL)-1β concentrations compared to healthy controls. However, no studies to date have 1) compared structural findings in SCZ and MAP, 2) investigated the associations of psychotic symptom severity and duration with brain volumes and cytokine concentrations in SCZ and MAP and 3) determined the effect of antipsychotic type on brain measures in SCZ compared to MAP. Methods: 36 patients with SCZ, 27 with MAP, and 32 healthy controls underwent clinical interview, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and phlebotomy. Symptom severity was assessed with the positive and negative symptom scales (PANSS). Volumes of the amygdala, hippocampus and basal ganglia and frontal cortical thickness and surface area were processed with FreeSurfer. TNF-α, IL-1β, -8, -12 and IFN-γ concentrations in serum, were assessed with a Luminex assay. ANOVAs were used to compare structural findings across groups, group differences for cytokine concentrations, number of psychotic episodes, symptom severity and to determine the effect of antipsychotics (AP) type on structural brain volumes and frontal cortical thickness in SCZ and MAP. Spearman's Rank and Pearson's correlations were used to determine associations of symptom severity, number of psychotic episodes and duration of illness with structural brain measures and cytokine concentrations. Results: 1) Decreased left amygdala volumes were reported in SCZ and MAP compared to CON, 2) increased right caudate and bilateral putamen and NAcc (nucleus accumbens) volumes were reported in SCZ compared to MAP and CON , with increased right pallidus volumes in SCZ compared to MAP, 3)…
author: Blake, Lauren
keywords: Psychiatry and Mental Health
date published: 2022
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:26Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37076