BRAIN MORPHOMETRIC COMPARISON OF FIRST-EPISODE SCHIZOPHRENIA AND TEMPORAL-LOBE EPILEPSY

Background Converging evidence has suggested that the abnormalities in brain morphology observed in schizophrenia are similar to those seen in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The purpose of this study was to comp are the features of these groups directly with measures of the brain u sing magnetic resonance (MR) morphometry. Method Morphometric measures of ventricular and hippocampal volumes obtained from FLASH MR images were studied in 32 patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES), 39 patients with TLE (21 left, 18 right), and 42 healthy controls. Resul ts Ventricular Volumes in the FES and TLE groups were both significant ly larger than those seen in controls and did not differ from each oth er. The FES group showed significantly larger temporal horns, while th e TLE group had relatively larger frontal horns. Analyses of hippocamp al volumes revealed a significant group by hemisphere effect. The FES group showed relative reductions in left hippocampal volume that were comparable only to TLE patients with seizures originating from the lef t hemisphere. Conclusion The results indicate that FES and TLE groups both show evidence of ventricular enlargement. Lateralised morphologic al abnormalities of the hippocampal formation in FES and left TLE are comparable, and may be specific to temporolimbic regions.