Gyral and Sulcal Cortical Thinning in Adolescents with First Episode Early-Onset Psychosis

Background Psychosis is associated with volumetric decreases of cortical structures. Whether these volumetric decreases imply abnormalities in cortical thickness, surface, or cortical folding is not clear. Due to differences in cytoarchitecture, cortical gyri and sulci might be differentially affected by psychosis. Therefore, we examined differences in gyral and sulcal cortical thickness, surface, folding, and volume between a minimally treated male adolescent population with early-onset first-episode psychosis (EOP) and a healthy control group, with surface-based morphometry. Methods Magnetic resonance imaging brain scans were obtained from 49 adolescent EOP patients and 34 healthy control subjects. Subjects were younger than 18 years (age range 12 years–18 years), and EOP patients had a duration of positive symptoms of