Neurostructural changes in schizophrenia and treatment-resistance: a narrative review

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a complex disorder characterized by multiple neurochemical abnormalities and structural changes in the brain. These abnormalities may begin before recognizable clinical symptoms appear and continue as a dynamic process throughout the illness. Recent advances in imaging techniques have significantly enriched our comprehension of these structural alterations, particularly focusing on gray and white matter irregularities and prefrontal, temporal, and cingulate cortex alterations. Some of the changes suggest treatment resistance to antipsychotic medications, while treatment nonadherence and relapses may further exacerbate structural abnormalities. This narrative review aims to discuss the literature about alterations and deficits within the brain, which could improve the understanding of schizophrenia and how to interpret neurostructural changes.

Keywords

schizophrenia / magnetic resonance imaging / PET / SPECT / gray matter / treatment-resistant schizophrenia

Author contributions

Tanya Paul (Conceptualization, Writing - original draft), Jia Whei See (Writing - original draft), Vetrivel Vijayakumar (Writing - original draft), Temiloluwa Njideaka-Kevin (Writing - original draft), Hanyou Loh (Writing - original draft), Vivian Jia Qi Lee (Writing - original draft), and Bekir Nihat Dogrul (Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing - original draft, Writing - review and editing)

Conflict of Interest

None declared.

Acknowledgements

This research has received no funding.

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