CAVUM-SEPTUM-PELLUCIDUM IN SCHIZOPHRENIA, AFFECTIVE-DISORDER AND HEALTHY CONTROLS - A MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING STUDY

Many structural brain abnormalities have been described in schizophren ia, consistent with a neurodevelopmental model for this disease. We re port here a study of the cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) in schizophreni a compared to control groups, as well as the clinical correlates of th is congenital anomaly in schizophrenia. We conducted a magnetic resona nce imaging (MRI) study to compare rates of CSP in schizophrenia (N = 67) v. psychiatric controls (bipolar and schizoaffective, N = 60) and healthy controls (N = 37). Of the controls 18.9 %, and of all psychoti c subjects 18.1 % had a CSP of any size and there was no difference in the frequency of large CSP among the groups. Males had higher rates o f CSP than females (25 % v. 9.7 %, P = 0.01) in all groups. Schizophre nics had higher CSP rates than affective patients (25 %, v. 10 %, P = 0.02). No clinical difference was found between schizophrenics with or without CSP.