Could An MRI Detect Early Signs Of Schizophrenia?

New findings published in the journal Human Brain Mapping show that a simple Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan could help to predict whether or not a patient may develop schizophrenia.

For the study, researchers used a new scanning method that takes notes of the wiring of the brain and reports the symptoms associated with the mental disorder that can partly be explained by connectivity in the brain.

"We already know that the brains of people with schizophrenia are wired differently and are less efficient than healthy people," Professor Derek Jones, director of Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), said in a news release. "However, until now, no study has tried to use this information to look at healthy individuals with some of the same symptoms but without actually having the condition."

During the study, they used MRIs on over 200 people to help identify how the brains of young people who had some symptoms of the problem were potentially wired differently than others. Then they scanned 123 people who had vulnerability to psychosis and 125 people without vulnerability, comparing the differences in wiring patterns.

Findings revealed certain abnormalities that affected central areas of the brain.

Researchers are hopeful that with future studies, this new technique could provide insight into how the brain could predict signs of future mental health issues, particularly with schizophrenia in mind, which typically develops anywhere between the ages of 16 and 30, according to the National Institutes of Health.