Age-related cortical thickness trajectories in first episode psychosis patients presenting with early persistent negative symptoms.

Brain thickness changes linked to a high-risk subtype of schizophrenia may enable targeted therapies. Martin Lepage and colleagues at McGill University in Canada used magnetic resonance imaging to measure local brain volumes in patients with schizophrenia over the two years following their first episode of psychosis. Lepage's team was particularly interested in a subset of patients displaying ‘early persistent negative symptoms’ (ePNS), which have been associated with treatment-resistant disease and poor patient prognosis. Patients with ePNS had reduced brain thickness around the temporal regions, and certain brain volume changes differed with age at time of first psychotic episode. These brain measurements are a potential impartial marker for identifying these more challenging cases, allowing refined treatment. Higher disease severity in these patients may be due to damage done to the brain during development.