GROSS BRAIN MORPHOLOGY IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - A REGIONAL-ANALYSIS OF TRADITIONAL DIAGNOSTIC SUBTYPES

Fifty-six patients with chronic schizophrenia were categorized into 2 groups based on traditional diagnostic subtypology. They were then com pared on indices of cortical and subcortical cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume to explore whether the more virulent nonparanoid disorder was linked to cortical or subcortical morphological brain abnormalities. T hey were examined also to determine whether abnormalities in a specifi c cerebral region were related to greater chronicity or severity of sc hizophrenia. The two groups differed significantly only in subcortical but not cortical CSF volume. The regional changes, however, did not a ppear to characterize exclusively the virulent subtypes. The results a nd their implications for future studies on the neuroanatomical correl ates of schizophrenia subtypes are discussed.