Childhood trauma, orbitofrontal cortex H-shaped sulci volume, and cognitive function thought to be related in patients with schizophrenia<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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TUESDAY, July 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Patients with first-episode schizophrenia appear to have smaller H-shaped sulci in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), according to a study published in the June 22 issue of the Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience<\/em>.<\/p>\n Leilei Wang, M.D., from the Peking University Huilongguan Clinical Medical School in Beijing, and colleagues recruited 63 patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 48 healthy controls and quantified OFC H-shaped sulci volumes with 3.0 T high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging. Cognitive function was assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), and childhood trauma experiences were assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ).<\/p>\n The researchers found that compared with healthy controls, patients with first-episode schizophrenia had smaller left OFC H-shaped sulci volumes, more severe childhood trauma experiences, and worse cognitive function. There was a negative correlation seen for CTQ total score and emotional and physical neglect subscores with left OFC H-shaped sulci volume. In patients with first-episode schizophrenia, the total CTQ score and emotional neglect and sexual abuse subscores were negatively correlated with cognitive function. In healthy controls, there was a positive correlation observed for the CTQ total score and physical neglect subscores with cognitive function. There was a mediating role noted for left OFC H-shaped sulci volume in CTQ emotional neglect subscore, CTQ total score, and MCCB composite scores.<\/p>\n “Interventions to address childhood trauma — especially emotional neglect — may be a strategy for alleviating cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia,” the authors write.<\/p>\n