MIDLINE CEREBRAL MALFORMATIONS AND SCHIZOPHRENIA

To investigate a possible association of midline cerebral malformation s with psychotic disorders, MRI and CT scans were blindly evaluated fo r 52 patients with schizophrenia, 9 with schizoaffective disease, and 79 consecutive nonpsychotic control subjects. Midline abnormalities we re present in 10 of 61 patients (16.4%) versus 4 of 79 control subject s (5.1%; P < 0.05, chi-square). Of 52 schizophrenic patients, 8 had ab normalities of the septum pellucidum (SP): 5 had cavum vergae (CaV), 2 had cavum septum pellucidum (CaSP), and 1 had agenesis of the corpus callosum and SP. Of 9 schizoaffective patients, 2 had SP abnormalities : 1 CaV and 1 CaSP. Abnormalities of the SP, especially CaV, were sign ificantly more frequent in women than in men (P < 0.02, chi-square).