Shape Analysis of Hippocampal Changes in Schizophrenic Patients with Water Imbalance

Abstract

This past summer I conducted schizophrenia research at the Northwestern University with Dr. Morris Goldman with the goal to determine the effectiveness of shape analysis in detecting subtle changes in the brain substructures of schizophrenics. We collaborated with Dr. Lei Wang and utilized his method of automated shape and volume analysis from MRI scans. Using the same subject brain scans from Dr. Goldman?s prior study in 2006, which found decreased anterior hippocampal volumes in a subset of schizophrenics with water imbalance, we performed a shape analysis of the three structures. By comparing the shape deformation between controls and different subsets of schizophrenics, we hoped to find a correlation between shape and volume changes in the regions of volume losses of water-imbalanced schizophrenics. The resulting three dimensional surface map of the hippocampus with subsequent principal component analysis revealed that shape variance between the different schizophrenic groups existed and correlate with the lateral inferior volume losses in the hippocampus. These findings were submitted for approval in an abstract for the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Conference to be held in December. Shape analysis is still being conducted for the amygdala and third ventricle.