OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate sex differences
in relationships between brain and behavior in schizophrenia. METHOD:
Frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and whole brain volumes were obtained from
magnetic resonance images of 91 patients with schizophrenia (54 men and 37
women) and 114 healthy comparison subjects (62 men and 52 women). Four
independent symptom scales, based on the following symptom clusters, were
derived from clinical data: negative, disorganization, Schneiderian
hallucinations-delusions, and suspicion-hostility. Regression analyses
incorporating the four clinical scales and neuroanatomical volumes were
performed to investigate possible interactions between brain region and
sex. RESULTS: Significant interactive effects of sex and frontal lobe
volume were found in regression analyses of the disorganization and
suspicion-hostility symptom scales. In men, higher frontal lobe volume was
associated with milder severity of disorganization but was not correlated
with severity of suspicion-hostility. In women, higher frontal lobe volume
was associated with more severe disorganization as well as more severe
suspicion-hostility. No associations were found between brain volume and
severity of negative or Schneiderian symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Differences
between male and female patients were observed in the relationships between
frontal lobe volume and two of the four clinical dimensions examined. These
findings suggest that aspects of the neuropathological basis for some
symptoms of schizophrenia may be sexually dimorphic.
Abstract Teaser