Cerebellar vermis area in schizophrenic patients - a post-mortem study

Neuroimaging studies of cerebellar atrophy in schizophrenia have yielded co ntradictory results. In computertomography (CT) studies, cerebellar atrophy was found in up to 40% of schizophrenic patients. However, several recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies could not replicate these early fi ndings; in addition, contradictory observations of enlargement of vermal st ructures were reported. In contrast to the number of CT and MRI studies, th ere are only a few neuropathological reports on this subject. In a post-mor tem study we analyzed the midsagittal vermal area of formaldehyde-fixed cer ebella of 12 deceased schizophrenic patients and 12 age- and gender-matched control subjects by using morphometrical methods. Statistical analysis usi ng ANOVA revealed no significant group effects, but there were interactions with gender and cerebellar brain weight. In view of the present results, t he common concept of cerebellar atrophy in schizophrenic patients appears-p remature. Gender effects and secondary processes (e.g., relevant alcohol or drug abuse) cannot be excluded as possible factors causing decrease of ver mal areas in schizophrenic patients. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rig hts reserved.