SYMPOSIA

Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Vol: 21, Supplement: 2, 2011 - www.psikofarmakoloji.org
Abstracts of the Invited Speakers
with the determination of disordered brain structures at the levels of neurons and neuronal populations in brain mapping by creating
mathematical formulations and treatment. Psychosurgery aims to regain systematic and comprehensive brain functions via minimally
invasive nondestructive neurosurgical applications. Psychosurgery is indicated for treatment-refractory major mental illnesses such as
depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and others. Neurostimulative methods are preferred to neuroablative methods.
Neurons have highly complex morphological, electrophysiological, and biochemical properties as reflected in many psychomotor
functions, continuation of mental homeostasis, repertoire of activity patterns and multiple signaling pathways. Morphologically,
neurochemically and electrophysiologically heterogeneous neuron groups project to the cerebral cortex, deep brain structures, brain
stem, spinal cord and autonomous ganglia. These highly complex ascending and descending pathways participate in different functions,
including cognition, motivation, emotion, speech, calculation, memory and autonomic regulation.
Disorders of neuronal populations can cause neuropsychiatric illnesses. Neurostimulative applications are the most useful treatment
methods for intractable cases. However, in experimental studies, stem cells and teacher neurons specifically educated by computerised
mediums have begun to be implantated into the brain for education and stimulation of dysfunctional neuron groups.
Psychosurgery has been directed to neurocomputer interfacing technologies. Hybride neuroelectric devices, neuromimetic protheses,
sonic and photonic multichip modules, biotic-abiotic neuromodulators, bio-robotics and reconfigurable neural nanodevices have shown
promise for future excellent treatment strategies for mental illnesses.
Key words: Psychosurgery, deep brain stimulation
Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology 2011;21(Suppl. 2):S60-1
[PS-06]
Symposium Title: Neuroimaging in psychopharmacology: An update
What is the real meaning of ventricular enlargement in schizophrenia?
Nazlı Buğçe Vedin Özçelik
Department of Psychiatry, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
E-mail: bugcevedin@gmail.com
Schizophrenia usually starts during adolescence or young adulthood but tends to persist throughout life. Even at the time that the
concept of schizophrenia was first defined, it was thought to be a brain disease. Before the development of brain imaging techniques,
post-mortem brain examinations were performed. It was reported that patients had frontal atrophy and less brain weight than the normal
population. After the development of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging techniques, the number of the studies
in this field increased.
Structural MRI imaging studies indicated that brain abnormalities were present at the onset of the disease. One strong piece of evidence
indicating that schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder derives from the fact that many types of brain abnormalities are present
at the time of the first episode off illness. These include decreased cerebral size, decreased frontal and temporal lobe sizes, decreased
thalamic size, decreases in gray matter and white matter volumes and enlargement of the ventricles. These findings support the likelihood
that this illness arises because of aberrations in the complex neurodevelopmantal processes that modulate brain maturation during the
adolescent and young adult period.
Lateral ventricular enlargement is one of the most consistent findings in patients with schizophrenia. However whether progressive
ventricular dilatation occurs during the course of the illness has been controversial. Some findings suggest that there is progressive
ventricular enlargement with no significant effect of age of onset, duration of illness or age at the baseline scan. In some longitudinal
studies there was evidence that negative symptoms have an association with increases in total CSF volume and in the ventricles as
indicated by the ventricular–brain ratio. Patients who achieve longer periods of remission have less expansion of the CSF, although, some
findings support the premise that there is a subgroup of patients with neuroprogression.
Key words: Schizophrenia, magnetic resonance imaging, lateral ventricle
Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology 2011;21(Suppl. 2):S61
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