Morphometry of individual cerebellar lobules in schizophrenia

Objective: Previous imaging studies have described focal cortical changes i n schizophrenia, with predominant findings of abnormalities in the temporal and frontal regions. The current study hypothesized that cerebellar region s involved in feedback and feed-forward loops with cortical regions affecte d in schizophrenia would also demonstrate structural changes. Method: Using magnetic resonance imaging, the authors measured the volume o f individual cerebellar lobules in 19 patients with schizophrenia and 19 he althy comparison subjects. Results: The inferior vermis was significantly smaller in the schizophrenic group than in the comparison group. Patients with schizophrenia also demon strated a significantly smaller cerebellar asymmetry than the comparison su bjects. Conclusions: The authors hypothesize that these morphometric changes may be developmental in origin and possibly related to cortical abnormalities.