Using a new analytic process known as "epicentre mapping", an international team of researchers looked for similarities and differences between the brain scans of 1,124 people with schizophrenia and 1,046 healthy controls.
Although the data show that schizophrenia can occur in different areas, abnormalities in two brain structures with established links to language and emotional processing - Broca's area and the fronto-insular cortex - stand out as significant.
"This suggests to us that everyone who suffers from this condition has a unique starting point that can explain the differences in symptoms. But there is a common process that leads to more widespread, albeit subtle, changes in the structure of the brain," said psychiatrist Lena Palaniappan of McGill University.
Part of the problem in effectively treating schizophrenia is that it manifests differently in different people. While there are therapies for the disorder that can have a positive effect, it can be difficult to know which patients will benefit from them. The researchers say that epicentre mapping can be used to identify individuals who would benefit from treatments specifically targeting language and communication.
If medical professionals can get more information about diagnosis from brain scans, which are relatively quick and inexpensive to perform, then there is potential to tailor treatment more precisely and change more lives.
"This insight provides an important answer to the eternal question of whether schizophrenia is one disease or many diseases," Palaniappan says.
Characterized by distorted thinking and perception that distort reality, schizophrenia affects approximately one in 300 people worldwide. However, the exact causes and processes vary, making it difficult to predict who is more at risk.
Studies have revealed interesting facts, such as a link between the ownership of cats and the risk of schizophrenia (possibly due to a parasite that can infect cats), as well as indications that related brain problems may begin in utero.
As with most such disorders, knowing how it starts and develops can inform efforts to find ways to cope and even treat it.
"Using techniques such as epicentre mapping, we can determine which parts of the brain are most affected, even before noticeable symptoms appear. This information can help us identify patients who are likely to do better with certain treatments," says computer scientist Jianfeng Feng from Fudan University in China. | BGNES
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