Comparison of pariyetal cortex volumes with healthy controls in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

Comparison of Pariyetal Cortex Volumes with Healthy Controls in Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder Objective: In this study, it was aimed to compare the pariyetal lobe (PL) volume of patients with schizoaffective disorder (SAD) and chronic schizophrenia among themselves and with controls, and to examine the relationship of pariyetal lobe (PL) volume with positive and negative symptoms in SAD and schizophrenia. Material and Method: This study was conducted with patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (20) and SAD (24) according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and a healthy control group (20). The sociodemographic data form was filled by the participants themselves, and the positive symptom assessment scale (SAPS) and negative symptoms assessment scale (SANS) forms for the patient groups were completed by the psychiatrist. The PL volumes of the participants in the study were calculated with the images taken with the Cloud Based MRI Segmentation and Parcelling Method (VBM). Negative and positive symptoms associated with PL volume changes in diseases were evaluated by comparing PL volumes with SAPS and SANS total and subscale scores. Results: While there was a smaller PL volume in the schizophrenia and SAD group compared to the control group, no statistically significant difference was found between the schizophrenia and SAD groups in terms of pariyetal lobe (PL) volumes. In the correlation analysis of PL volumes and SANS and SAPS total and subscale scores, PL volumes were found to be highly negatively correlated with the SANS attention subscale. Conclusions: As an important finding in our study, PL volumes were found to be smaller in both hemispheres, in both schizophrenia and SAD groups compared to the control group. The results of this study emphasize the importance of PL in understanding the etiopathoyinesis of schizophrenia and SAD and in developing biomarkers for these diseases.