• Schizophrenia is both a neurodevelopmental and
neurodegenerative disorder.
• FEP studies are vital for understanding the disorder’s
neurodevelopmental basis.
• A hereditary burden and environment risk score was
introduced for the first time.
• In line with the literature, prefrontal, and posterior
parietal regions were shown.
Introduction: Schizophrenia is both a neurodevelopmental and
neurodegenerative disorder that manifests a complex spectrum of
symptoms, significantly impacting mental health. In early-onset
psychosis, similar to adult studies, neuroimaging focuses on ventral
prefrontal cortical areas and posterior temporoparietal regions, crucial for
understanding the neurodevelopmental mechanisms of these conditions
in such drug-naive patients. This enables magnetic resonance imaging
to be acquired before significant neurodegenerative changes occur,
in contrast to chronic schizophrenia cases. Therefore, our study helps
advance understanding of disease mechanisms in this patient population.
Methods: We recruited forty-one subjects (17 females, 24 males; mean
age=16 years; age range: 12–17 years) who were diagnosed with firstepisode
psychosis (FEP). We examined the relationship between gene
and environmental risk scores (GERS) and whole-brain gray matter (GM)
volumes through voxel-based morphometry (VBM).
Results: We found a positive correlation between GM volumes of the left
medial frontal gyrus, right anterior prefrontal cortex, left superior frontal
gyrus, left operculum (part of the inferior frontal gyrus), left superior
parietal lobe, and left supramarginal gyrus with the GERS. We found a
negative correlation between GM volumes of the left superior frontal
gyrus, left cerebellum, and the GERS.
Conclusion: Our findings contribute to the understanding of structural
abnormalities associated with schizophrenia, aligning with existing
literature highlighting GM changes in frontal, parietal, and temporal
cortices, as well as limbic structures. Our study underscores the importance
of integrating structural and functional neuroimaging approaches to
elucidate the pathophysiology of early-onset schizophrenia, emphasizing
regions like the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), ventrolateral
prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), and posterior parietal areas.
Keywords: Child psychiatry, first-episode psychosis, gray matter volume,
neuroimaging, voxel-based morphometry