Brain Abnormalities Identified in Children at Risk for Schizophrenia

THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Global and regionally specific brain abnormalities can differentiate children with distinct risk profiles for schizophrenia compared with typically developing (TD) children, according to a study published online June 9 in CNS Spectrums.Shuqing Si, Ph.D., from King's College London in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a longitudinal analysis of brain alterations in children putatively at risk for developing schizophrenia to identify early markers of pathophysiology. Community screening via questionnaires was used to recruit children aged 9 to 12 years with multiple antecedents of schizophrenia (ASz), those with a family history of schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder (FHx), and TD children (31, 21, and 35 children, respectively). At baseline and after about two and four years of follow-up, T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained. Total gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume and regional GM volumes in 12 regions of interest were compared among the groups.The researchers found that consistently higher total WM volume was exhibited by the ASz group (b = 29.45) compared with the TD group, with no significant time-related volumetric WM or GM differences in any region. Higher total WM volume was also demonstrated in the FHx group (b = 36.49); time-related total and regional GM volume changes were seen. After correction, these effects were attenuated."It is essential to establish systematic follow-up assessments and personalized intervention strategies that enable more accurate evaluation and stratification of the risk of developing schizophrenia in these children, thereby contributing to a more effective early intervention model," lead author Kristin R. Laurens, Ph.D., also from King's College London, said in a statement.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Brain Abnormalities Identified in Children at Risk for Schizophrenia

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