Mapping adolescent brain change reveals dynamic wave of accelerated gray matter loss in very early-onset schizophrenia

Average rates of gray matter loss in normal adolescents and in schizophrenia. (A) Three-dimensional maps of brain changes, derived from high-resolution magnetic resonance images (MRI scans) acquired repeatedly from the same subjects, reveal profound, progressive gray matter loss in schizophrenia (Right). Average rates of gray matter loss from 13 to 18 years of age are displayed on average cortical models for the group. Severe loss is observed (red and pink; up to 5% annually) in parietal, motor, and temporal cortices, whereas inferior frontal cortices remain stable (blue; 0–1% loss). Dynamic loss is also observed in the parietal cortices of normal adolescents, but at a much slower rate. (B) Average gray matter loss rates were computed for all 24 subjects in superior frontal gyri (SFG), lateral temporal cortices (LTC), and superior parietal lobules (SPL) in both brain hemispheres. Error bars indicate the standard error of the sample means, by region, in controls and patients. Individual loss rates (in percent per year) are plotted (■, patients; □, controls), showing significant group separation, despite some outliers.