Submillimeter whole-brain diffusion tensor imaging reveals diffusion anisotropy alterations in hippocampal subfields of schizophrenia

Motivation: Investigating microstructural changes at the subfield level in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) could enhance our understanding of the disease and inform precision medicine approaches. Goal(s): To investigate diffusion anisotropy alterations in hippocampal subfields of SCZ patients using submillimeter whole-brain DTI. Approach: SCZ patients and healthy controls (HC) underwent MRI scans. Sixteen hippocampal subfields were segmented, with quantitative diffusion parameters extracted for each subfield and compared between SCZ and HC. Results: Compared to HC, SCZ patients exhibited altered diffusion parameters in 9 hippocampal subfields. Notably, some of these alterations correlated with cognitive impairment. Impact: The observed hippocampal anisotropy alterations may serve as sensitive imaging biomarkers for schizophrenia, potentially associated with cognitive impairment. These findings offer a promising foundation for further exploration of targeted clinical interventions in SCZ patients.