Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Brain Changes Point to Individuals at "Ultra High Risk" for Psychosis

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Better identification of patients at “ultra high risk”  of psychosis, using biomarkers or brain imaging, can aid in the prediction of who will or will not convert to acute psychosis. A new study in the July Schizophrenia Bulletin titled “Cortical Thickness Reduction in Individuals at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis,” uses magnetic resonance imaging to show that ultra high risk individuals have significant cortical thinning in the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, inferior parietal cortex, parahippocampal cortex, and superior temporal gyrus compared with healthy controls.

More accurate prediction of who among individuals at risk will convert to psychosis was a major focus at this year’s International Congress of Schizophrenia Research. For more information on this important topic, see Psychiatric News http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/10/18.1.full.