The optic radiation and the cerebellar peduncles in adolescents with first-admission schizophrenia--a diffusion tensor imaging study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Previous studies have found gray matter alterations in the cerebellum and in the visual system in both adults and adolescents with schizophrenia. The present study was conducted to investigate whether white matter tracts associated with these regions are also affected in the early stages of the disorder.

METHODS

Using a 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner and fiber tracking, the optic radiations and the middle cerebellar peduncles were examined in 13 adolescents with first-admission schizophrenia and 13 healthy controls matched for age, gender, school type, and handedness.

RESULTS

Patients with schizophrenia displayed significantly decreased fractional anisotropy in the optic radiations, but no differences in the middle cerebellar peduncles compared to healthy controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings of altered fiber integrity in the optic radiations in adolescents with schizophrenia are in line with gray matter alterations in the visual cortices previously reported in the same sample and are in accordance with other studies that found decreased fractional anisotropy in these regions. These findings support the view that the visual system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and may enhance our understanding of associations between the visual cortex and symptoms of the disorder.