Smaller Anterior Hippocampal Formation Volume in Antipsychotic-Naive Patients With First-Episode Schizophrenia

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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated volumetric alterations of the anterior hippocampal formation in patients experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia relative to healthy comparison subjects. METHOD: From contiguous 1.5-mm coronal magnetic resonance images, the hippocampal formation was divided into posterior and anterior segments, and the anterior hippocampal formation was separated from the amygdala. Volumes of the posterior and anterior hippocampal formation and amygdala were computed in 46 (31 male and 15 female) patients experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia and in 34 (21 male and 13 female) healthy comparison subjects. Twenty-four patients were antipsychotic naive at the time of the scan. RESULTS: Patients had significantly reduced total (right plus left) anterior hippocampal formation volume relative to healthy comparison subjects but did not differ in volumes of either the posterior hippocampal formation or amygdala. Similar findings were obtained when analyses were restricted to the a...