Cortical folding of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), particularly the cingulate (CS) and the paracingulate (PCS) sulci, represents a neurodevelopmental marker. Deviations in in utero development in schizophrenia can be traced using CS and PCS morphometry. In the present study, we measured the length of CS, PCS, and their segments on T1 MRI scans in 93 patients with first- episode schizophrenia and 42 healthy controls. Besides the length, the frequency and the left-right asymmetry of CS/PCS were compared in patients and controls. Distribution of the CS and PCS morphotypes in patients was different from controls. Parcellated sulcal pattern CS3a in the left hemisphere was longer in patients (53.8 ± 25.7 mm vs. 32.7 ± 19.4 mm in controls, p < 0.05), while in CS3c it was reversed—longer in controls (52.5 ± 22.5 mm as opposed to 36.2 ± 12.9 mm, n.s. in patients). Non parcellated PCS in the right hemisphere were longer in patients compared to controls (19.4 ± 10.2 mm vs. 12.1 ± 12.4 mm, p < 0.001). Therefore, concurrent presence of PCS1 and CS1 in the left hemisphere and to some extent in the right hemisphere may be suggestive of a higher probability of schizophrenia.

Enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) are increasingly recognized as an MRI detectable feature of neuroinflammatory processes and age-related neurodegenerative changes. Understanding perivascular characteristics in healthy individuals is crucial for their applicability as a reference for pathological changes. Limited data exists on the EPVS load and interhemispheric asymmetry in distribution among young healthy subjects. Despite the known impact of hydration on brain morphometric studies, blood plasma osmolality's effect on EPVS remains unexplored. This study investigated the influence of age, total intracranial volume (TIV), and blood plasma osmolality on EPVS characteristics in 59 healthy adults, each undergoing MRI and osmolality assessment twice within 14.8 months (mean ± 4 months). EPVS analysis was conducted in the centrum semiovale using high-resolution automated segmentation, followed by an optimization algorithm to enhance EPVS segmentation accuracy. Linear Mixed Effects model was used for the statistical analysis, which unveiled significant inter-individual variability in EPVS load and inter-hemispheric asymmetry. EPVS volume increased with age, higher TIV and lower blood plasma osmolality levels. Our findings offer valuable insights into EPVS characteristics among the healthy population, establishing a foundation to further explore age-related and pathological changes.

Visualization of soft tissues in microCT scanning using X-rays is still a complicated matter. There is no simple tool or methodology on how to set up an optimal look-up-table while respecting the type of soft tissue. A partial solution may be the use of a contrast agent. However, this must be accompanied by an appropriate look-up-table setting that respects the relationship between the soft tissue type and the Hounsfield units. The main aim of the study is to determine experimentally derived look-up-tables and relevant values of the Hounsfield units based on the statistical correlation analysis. These values were obtained from the liver and kidneys of 24 mice in solutions of ethanol as the centroid value of the opacity look-up-table area under this graph. Samples and phantom were scanned by a Bruker SkyScan 1275 micro-CT and Phywe XR 4.0 and processed using CTvox and ORS Dragonfly software. To reconstruct the micro-CT projections, NRecon software was used. The main finding of the study is that there is a statistically significant relationship between the centroid of the area under the look-up-table curve and the number of days for which the animal sample was stored in an ethanol solution. H1 of the first hypothesis, i.e. that suggested the Spearman’s correlation coefficient does not equal zero (r₁ ≠ 0) regarding this relationship was confirmed. On the other hand, there is no statistically significant relationship between the centroid of the area under the look-up-table curve and the concentration of the ethanol solution. In this case, H1 of the second hypothesis, i.e. that the Spearman’s correlation coefficient does not equal zero (r₂ ≠ 0) regarding this relationship was not confirmed. Spearman’s correlation coefficients were −0.27 for the concentration and −0.87 for the number of days stored in ethanol solution in the case of the livers of 13 mice and 0.06 for the concentration and 0.94 for the number of days stored in ethanol solution in the case of kidneys of 11 mice.

BACKGROUND: Brain perivascular spaces (PVS) are emerging magnetic resonance imaging markers of microvascular function and waste metabolite clearance. Although PVS enlargement has been linked to aging and vascular risk, it remains unclear whether PVS morphometry reflects shared familial microvascular characteristics and how these are shaped by individual vascular, physiological, and neuropsychiatric factors. We investigated whether PVS morphometry captures these familial characteristics in addition to individual determinants. METHODS: We analyzed 1183 participants from the Stratifying Depression and Resilience Longitudinally family-based cohort, including 324 individuals with first-degree relatives. Automated magnetic resonance imaging segmentation quantified PVS volume, count, density, and median length in the centrum semiovale and basal ganglia. Linear mixed-effects models assessed associations with age, hypertension, hair cortisol, depressive symptom scores, and hand grip strength while accounting for familial clustering. RESULTS: In 1050 individuals (59.5% female; mean age, 59.3±10.1 years), PVS burden increased with age (PVSvolume%ROI, β=0.18 [95% CI, 0.11–0.26]; P <0.0001), current depressive symptoms across both regions (PVS density: centrum semiovale, β=0.092 [0.023–0.16]; P =0.009; BG, β=0.11 [0.043–0.18]; P =0.002; largely robust to false discovery rate correction), and with higher hair cortisol (PVS count β=0.08 [0.003–0.15]; P =0.041; borderline after false discovery rate correction) and weaker grip strength (PVSvolume%ROI β=−0.09 [−0.16 to −0.02]; P =0.013), in the centrum semiovale. Familial clustering was significant for PVS volume (β=0.22 [0.096–0.52]; P =0.013) and median length (β=0.28 [0.16−0.49]; P =0.0003), independent of other factors. CONCLUSIONS: PVS morphometry reflects shared familial microvascular phenotypes and neuropsychiatric influences beyond hypertension, highlighting both familial and individual determinants of PVS burden and morphology. These findings support PVS morphometry as a neuroimaging marker of cerebral microvascular health.

Enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) are MRI-visible markers associated with glymphatic system function and brain waste clearance, and are thought to reflect neurovascular, neuroinflammatory, and age-related changes. While schizophrenia is associated with neuroinflammation and accelerated brain aging, little is known about metabolic brain waste clearance in the condition. Moreover, whether EPVS burden differs across stages of disease is unclear. This study aimed to compare EPVS in the centrum semiovale (CSO) and basal ganglia (BG) among individuals with schizophrenia, first-episode psychosis (FEP), and healthy controls, with a total of 174 subjects included. EPVS were quantified using high-resolution 3T MRI and a standardized rating scale, with assessments conducted by three independent raters. Ordinal logistic regression showed higher odds of being in a higher CSO-EPVS category in chronic schizophrenia versus healthy controls (OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.15–4.62, p = 0.02), as well as higher total EPVS burden (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.04–3.93, p = 0.04), while no significant group differences were observed for BG-EPVS or between FEP and healthy controls. These findings suggest regional and group-specific differences in EPVS burden, with greater burden in chronic schizophrenia primarily reflected by CSO-EPVS rather than BG-EPVS. This study emphasizes the potential role of neurovascular and neuroinflammatory processes in schizophrenia, aligning with evidence of accelerated brain aging in the disorder.