11 research outputs found
Abnormal corneal nerve morphology and brain volume in patients with schizophrenia
Neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative pathology occur in Schizophrenia. This study compared the utility of corneal confocal microscopy (CCM), an ophthalmic imaging technique with MRI brain volumetry in quantifying neuronal pathology and its relationship to cognitive dysfunction and symptom severity in schizophrenia. Thirty-six subjects with schizophrenia and 26 controls underwent assessment of cognitive function, symptom severity, CCM and MRI brain volumetry. Subjects with schizophrenia had lower cognitive function (P ≤ 0.01), corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), length (CNFL), branch density (CNBD), CNBD:CNFD ratio (P < 0.0001) and cingulate gyrus volume (P < 0.05) but comparable volume of whole brain (P = 0.61), cortical gray matter (P = 0.99), ventricle (P = 0.47), hippocampus (P = 0.10) and amygdala (P = 0.68). Corneal nerve measures and cingulate gyrus volume showed no association with symptom severity (P = 0.35–0.86 and P = 0.50) or cognitive function (P = 0.35–0.86 and P = 0.49). Corneal nerve measures were not associated with metabolic syndrome (P = 0.61–0.64) or diabetes (P = 0.057–0.54). The area under the ROC curve distinguishing subjects with schizophrenia from controls was 88% for CNFL, 84% for CNBD and CNBD:CNFD ratio, 79% for CNFD and 73% for the cingulate gyrus volume. This study has identified a reduction in corneal nerve fibers and cingulate gyrus volume in schizophrenia, but no association with symptom severity or cognitive dysfunction. Corneal nerve loss identified using CCM may act as a rapid non-invasive surrogate marker of neurodegeneration in patients with schizophrenia
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Perirolandic Sparing and Pituitary Apoplexy in Adult Brain with Global Hypoxia. A Case Report
Global hypoxia in adult brain usually manifests as ischemic lesions in watershed territories. Acute profound hypoxia involves the cortex especially the perirolandic area, white matter and deep grey matter. Perirolandic sparing in adult global hypoxia is not described in literature. Few cases of perirolandic sparing are described in conditions like anoxia in term infants in the post-neonatal period and hepatic encephalopathy. We report a case of global hypoxia in adult brain with perirolandic sparing and unique association with pituitary apoplexy. It is well known that the "diving reflex" redistribution of cerebral blood flow to the high metabolically active regions occurs when the hypoxic insult is prolonged and partial. The perirolandic sparing in our case could be explained by this phenomenon, wherein the patient acutely developed hypoxia, which was profound and prolonged but not prolonged enough for deep grey matter sparing