# Evaluation of Morphometric Findings of Corpus Callosum in Schizophrenia Patients with Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Comparison with Healthy Individuals

## TL;DR

This study compares brain MRI measurements of the corpus callosum in schizophrenia patients and healthy individuals, finding significant differences that may help understand the disease's neurobiology.

## Contribution

The study provides new evidence on corpus callosum morphometric differences in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls.

## Key findings

- Corpus callosum subregion thickness, area, and index values were significantly lower in schizophrenia patients.
- Patients with multiple episodes had earlier diagnosis, longer illness duration, and more hospitalizations.
- Findings suggest a neurobiological basis for schizophrenia that needs confirmation in larger studies.

## Abstract

Objective: We aimed to compare the forebrain length, corpus callosum sub-segment thickness, corpus callosum area, and corpus callosum index in the cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of schizophrenia patients and healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, 137 schizophrenia patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were hospitalized in the Psychiatry Clinic of Mersin University Faculty of Medicine Hospital between January 2014 and January 2024 and 137 healthy individuals of the same age and gender without any mental disorders were included. The relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and disease-related variables obtained in the retrospective file review and the corpus callosum morphometric findings on brain MRI were analyzed with the SPSS 22 package program. p-values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: In the study, 274 individuals, including 137 schizophrenia patients (59 [43.1%] males; 78 [56.9%] females) and 137 healthy individuals (59 [43.1%] males; 78 [56.9%] females), were evaluated. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, and mean age at the time of brain MRI. In brain MRI measurements, forebrain length, corpus callosum (CC) AP diameter, CC genu, body, splenium, rostrum and isthmus thicknesses, CC area, and CC index values were significantly lower in the patient group compared to healthy controls. It was also found that patients with multiple episodes in the patient group were diagnosed at an earlier age, had a longer duration of illness, had a history of more homicide and suicide attempts, had more hospitalizations, had a history of more psychotic disorders in their families, and had lower levels of functioning compared to patients with a single episode. Conclusions: Each of the corpus callosum subregion thickness, corpus callosum area, and corpus callosum index values shows a decrease in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls. These findings contribute to the understanding of the neurobiological basis of the disease and provide important evidence to elucidate its pathophysiology. The results need to be confirmed in studies with larger samples using a prospective study design in which clinical parameters related to the disease are also measured.