EPA-1794 – White matter changes in multi-episode schizophrenia: a longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging study

Background The aim of this study was to detect longitudinal differences in white matter brain structures in adults with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. Methods Twenty adult patients with multi-episode schizophrenia under stable antipsychotic medication and twenty-two age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were included in the study. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) was applied at baseline (t1), after 6weeks (t2) and after 3months (t3) and data processing was done with tract-based spatial statistics (p Results Compared with healthy age- and sex-matched controls schizophrenic patients showed widespread decreases in mean fractional anisotropy values (p Conclusion Magnetic resonance imaging was able to detect altered structural connectivity in patients with multi-episode schizophrenia in a longitudinal design.