
Researchers from the University of Seville have participated, together with representatives from other Spanish, British, American and Canadian research centers, in a recent scientific study that has identified important anomalies in the brain maturation of individuals with psychosis. These anomalies manifest themselves in a decrease in the volume of gray matter in regions of the brain where the metabolism and concentration of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and acetylcholine, are high.
The research team analyzed more than 38,000 brain images from healthy people and more than 1,200 people with psychosis-related conditions, using an innovative centile-based normative model. This method made it possible to detect atypical patterns of cortical maturation, taking into account factors such as age, sex, and differences in the scans used.
The results suggest that along the continuum of psychosis, from first episodes to chronic cases, lower than expected brain volumes are present in the gray matter. These decreases are especially noticeable in clinically diagnosed patients. Furthermore, neurobiological features, such as brain metabolism and neurotransmitter concentrations, were found to overlap spatially with these structural abnormalities, pointing to their possible involvement in the development of the disease.
This study sheds new light on the neurobiological factors that may underlie vulnerability to psychosis, opening the door for future research to develop new prevention and treatment approaches for these neurodevelopmental disorders. The researchers plan to continue exploring the structural and neurobiological mechanisms responsible for these vulnerabilities to advance the search for new forms of treatment or prevention for people at risk of developing psychosis.