Key result
Chronic schizophrenia in 19 young hospitalized patients was associated with a significantly larger bicaudate ratio compared to 29 same-age controls, suggesting a link to illness duration.
Why the study?
Is there a relationship between ventricular enlargement and duration of illness in schizophrenia?
Case-Control (n=48)
Is there a relationship between ventricular enlargement and duration of illness in schizophrenia?
The study suggests that ventricular enlargement in schizophrenia is directly related to illness duration, potentially reflecting progressive neuronal degeneration.
Supports hypothesis of duration-related ventricular enlargement in schizophrenia; hypothesis-generating and does not yet change practice.
The size of the ventricles of 19 young hospitalized patients with chronic schizophrenia was compared with that of 29 same-age control subjects. The patients had a slightly but significantly larger bicaudate ratio. Analysis of these results in the context of previous studies of ventricular size and schizophrenia suggests that, contrary to current views, there is a direct relationship between size of ventricles and duration of schizophrenic illness. The authors argue that the conflicting results of different studies of ventricular size and schizophrenia can be reconciled by postulating that both clinical schizophrenia and ventricular enlargement are overt signs of an underlying neuronal degeneration that is hereditary and progressive.
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Woods et al. (1983) conducted a case-control in Chronic schizophrenia (n=48). Chronic schizophrenia vs. Same-age healthy controls was evaluated on Size of the ventricles (bicaudate ratio). Chronic schizophrenia in 19 young hospitalized patients was associated with a significantly larger bicaudate ratio compared to 29 same-age controls, suggesting a link to illness duration.
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