Paracingulate sulcus morphology in men with early-onset schizophrenia

Background Cingulate dysfunction has been reported in schizophrenia. Although the paracingulate sulcus (PCS) is known to be asymmetric in healthy people, little information is available about its morphology in schizophrenia. Aims To search for morphological anomalies of the PCS in men with early-onset schizophrenia. Method The PCS was examined in magnetic resonance images of the brains of men with schizophrenia and 100 healthy men. Results A significant asymmetry was found in the brains of healthy volunteers, whose sulci were more frequent and more marked in the left hemisphere. In contrast, the sulcus was as frequent in the right as in the left hemisphere in the patient group. Moreover, patients displayed significantly more rightward asymmetry, and overall less-asymmetrical patterns than the comparison group. Conclusions Since the PCS has developed at 36 weeks of gestation, these findings suggest an impaired maturation of the cingulate region during the third trimester. Declaration of interest The Fondation pour la Recherche Medicale supported J.-B.LP; D.B.-F. was supported by a post-doctoral grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC/ Fulbright) and by an INSERM research fellowship.