The British Journal of Psychiatry 150: 161-163 (1987)
© 1987 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Nuclear magnetic resonance brain imaging in chronic schizophrenia
JA Besson, FM Corrigan, GR Cherryman and FW Smith
Department of Mental Health, University of Aberdeen Clinical Research Centre.
Patients with chronic schizophrenia were examined by nuclear magnetic
resonance imaging of the brain. Subgroups of the syndrome with high
positive or high negative symptom scores and ventricular dilatation were
compared with each other and with normal controls in respect of regional
spin lattice relaxation time (T1) changes. Significant differences were not
observed between the schizophrenic subgroups and controls but there were
significant differences between the subgroups themselves. The presence of
tardive dyskinesia was associated with increased T1 of the basal ganglia.
The significance of these results is discussed in relation to findings
using other techniques.