Measurement of Limbic System Anatomical Volumes in Patients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia Using Vol2brain and Comparison with Healthy Individuals.

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder affecting approximately 24 million people worldwide, characterized by structural and functional brain abnormalities. Despite its prevalence, automated segmentation tools like Vol2Brain have been underutilized in large-sample studies examining limbic system anatomical volumes in patients with schizophrenia. This study aimed to assess volume differences in all major limbic system structures between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls using Vol2Brain. Method: This retrospective study included 68 schizophrenia patients and 68 healthy controls, with MRI scans obtained from OpenNeuro. Limbic system volumetric and cortical thickness measurements were conducted using Vol2Brain, an automated segmentation platform. Results: Schizophrenia patients exhibited significantly reduced volumes in the amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, and middle cingulate gyrus compared to controls. However, the left amygdala volume was larger in schizophrenia patients. A cortical thickness analysis revealed that schizophrenia patients had thinner limbic cortices, particularly in the anterior and posterior cingulate gyri and the right parahippocampal gyrus. In contrast, the right anterior cingulate gyrus was thicker in schizophrenia patients. The differences in total and left parahippocampal gyrus volumes and cortical thickness did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: These findings reinforce previous evidence of limbic system abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia, which may contribute to cognitive and emotional dysregulation. The study also highlights Vol2Brain's potential as a rapid, cost-free, and reliable alternative for brain volume analysis, facilitating more standardized and reproducible neuroimaging assessments in psychiatric research.