- defined as the central relay station of the brain
- contributions to SSDs: Parkinsonisms, altered cognitive functioning, lack of good mental coordination
- reduction of thalamic volumes are mostly found in experiments of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

University of Illinois at Chicago

GMV (gray matter volume) in SSD patients have similarities to meta-analyses by the ENIGMA consortium that found regional and global volume reductions in schizophrenia cohorts.Similar patterns have also been found in schizoaffective disorder studies, supporting the concept that the two SSDs are related in many aspects. This study is not able to determine the exact degree to which GMV reduction is a specific indicator of SSDs or if it is just similar to general psychological factors. On top of GMV reductions, volume reductions in the hippocampus and thalamus were also uncovered. 

Main findings of study

Tobias Ysbæk-Nielsen, A., Gogolu, R. F., Tranter, M., & Obel, Z. K. (2024, August 6). Structural brain differences in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with and without auditory verbal hallucinations. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925492724000866 

Brain differences in patients with schizophrenia with/without auditory verbal hallucinations

The thalamus and relation to SSD

- schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders usually have the most significant reduction of hippocampal volumes
- the hippocampus is associated with many different aspects of sensory and cognitive processing
- it is a hub of glutamatergic neurotransmission, which is thought to be associated with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia
- supports the hypothesis that anomalies within subcortical areas are correlated with SSDs

The hippocampus and relation to SSDs

This SSD study presents further research supporting the evidence of volumetric biomarkers in people with SSDs. Research findings intertwined with previous studies implicating regional and global GMV reductions in SSDs, and left side volumes of auditory parts of the brain in AVHs. Further research ought to attempt to replicate this findings once more, to test the robustness of the results. 

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