Abstract

Given that the manifestation of schizophrenia varies by sex, it is hypothesized that the interaction between diagnosis and sex significantly influences brain structure and is believed to be a crucial factor in understanding the neurobiology of schizophrenia. While much is known about cortical thickness mapping of the condition, there is currently no work that has assessed how changes to the cortical mantle relate to important clinical features of schizophrenia that vary by sex, such as age of illness onset (AOO) or duration of illness (DOI). This study utilized a sex-wise approach to examining cortical thickness alterations in men and women with schizophrenia, and assessed how they may uniquely relate to AOO and DOI in each. The relationship between whole brain cortical thickness and AOO/DOI variables were examined both separately and combined per patient group; age was included as a covariate where appropriate. Main findings from this study reveal typically thinner cortical thickness in patient males (SCZ-M) compared to patient females (SCZ-F), especially within the cingulate region. Additionally, AOO was negatively correlated with cortical thickness in SCZ-F but varied more within SCZ-M, potentially supporting proposed sex influences in disease manifestation. DOI was negatively correlated with cortical thickness across patients, but most notably in SCZ-M, suggesting DOI may have a more significant neurobiological impact on male patients, especially within cingulate regions. These findings may offer an explanation for the unique course/expression of clinical features between patient groups.

Degree

PhD

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Psychology

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2024-07-25

Document Type

Dissertation

Keywords

psychosis, sex differences, structural imaging, FreeSurfer, clinical course

Language

english

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