Evaluation of in vivo Hippocampal Volume Assessment in Psychosis Patients at High Field MRI

Schizophrenia is a serious and severe mental disorder of yet unknown etiology. Genetic, developmental and environmental factors have all been implicated in the emergence of the disorder. In particular, abnormalities in both morphology and volume of the hippocampus have been implicated in the underlying mechanisms contributing to the emergence of psychosis in schizophrenia and in other associated schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The hippocampus is a morphologically and anatomically complex grey matter bundle, situated deep within the temporal lobes. Hippocampal abnormalities are frequently posited to be a central feature of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia, and are believed to give rise to memory impairments and auditory hallucinations, two common features of the illness. The purpose of this study is to use high feild MRI to assess hippocampal morphology in patients with psychosis/schizophrenia, in addition to eveluating the most accurate platform of automated segmentation software for volumetric analysis of hippocampal stractures.

Faculty Supervisor:

Donna Lang

Student:

Partner:

BC Mental Health and Addictions Research Network

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: