DEVELOPMENTAL BRAIN ABNORMALITIES IN THE OFFSPRING OF SCHIZOPHRENIC MOTHERS .2. STRUCTURAL BRAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND SCHIZOTYPAL PERSONALITY-DISORDER

Background: We examined differences in ventricular and sulcal cerebros pinal fluid-to-brain ratios as a function of lifetime psychiatric diag nosis in the offspring of schizophrenic mothers (high-risk sample) and in the offspring of normal parents (low-risk sample). Methods: We use d a cohort analytic study of 17 high-risk individuals with schizophren ia, 31 high-risk individuals with schizotypal personality disorder, 33 high-risk individuals with nonschizophrenia-spectrum psychiatric diso rders, 45 high-risk individuals with no disorders, 31 low-risk individ uals with psychiatric disorders of all types, and 46 low-risk individu als with no disorders, evaluated initially in 1962 when they were a me an age of15 years, and reexamined from 1986 through 1989 with psychiat ric interviews and computed tomographic scans of the brain. Results: H igh-risk individuals with schizophrenia and schizotypal personality di sorder evidenced an equivalent degree of cortical sulcal enlargement, and bo th groups evidenced significantly greater sulcal enlargement th an did high-risk individuals with nonschizophrenia-spectrum disorders and no disorders and low-risk individuals with psychiatric disorders a nd no disorders. High-risk individuals with schizophrenia evidenced si gnificantly greater ventricular enlargement than did high-risk and low -risk subjects with other disorders and no disorders, including those with schizotypal personality disorder. These differences were independ ent of age, gender, history of substance dependence, and history of or ganic brain syndromes and head injuries. Conclusions: Among the offspr ing of schizophrenic parents, cortical abnormalities are expressed equ ally across the range of syndromes in the schizophrenia spectrum. Subc ortical abnormalities (ie, ventricular enlargement) are more pronounce d in the more severe syndrome (ie, schizophrenia).