People with schizophrenia may show abnormal morphological changes to brain structures such as ________.

People with schizophrenia may show abnormal morphological changes to brain structures such as ________.

• A. Smaller ventricles
• B. Larger ventricles
• C. Thickened cortex
• D. Increased white matter volume

Answer: (B)

Larger ventricles are a common structural change in schizophrenia because they reflect loss of surrounding brain tissue, especially gray matter in regions like the frontal and temporal lobes. As brain tissue shrinks or doesn’t develop typically, the spaces filled with cerebrospinal fluid—the ventricles—expand, making them appear larger on imaging scans. This enlargement is one of the most consistent morphological findings across studies using MRI or CT. Smaller ventricles would imply more brain tissue density rather than loss, which isn’t what’s typically observed in schizophrenia. Thickened cortex would indicate increased cortical mass, whereas schizophrenia often shows cortical thinning and reduced gray matter. Increased white matter volume also isn’t characteristic; schizophrenia is more often associated with white matter changes like disrupted integrity or reduced volume rather than increased volume. So, the best choice is larger ventricles because they signal underlying brain tissue loss commonly seen in schizophrenia.

Larger ventricles are a common structural change in schizophrenia because they reflect loss of surrounding brain tissue, especially gray matter in regions like the frontal and temporal lobes. As brain tissue shrinks or doesn’t develop typically, the spaces filled with cerebrospinal fluid—the ventricles—expand, making them appear larger on imaging scans. This enlargement is one of the most consistent morphological findings across studies using MRI or CT.

Smaller ventricles would imply more brain tissue density rather than loss, which isn’t what’s typically observed in schizophrenia. Thickened cortex would indicate increased cortical mass, whereas schizophrenia often shows cortical thinning and reduced gray matter. Increased white matter volume also isn’t characteristic; schizophrenia is more often associated with white matter changes like disrupted integrity or reduced volume rather than increased volume.

So, the best choice is larger ventricles because they signal underlying brain tissue loss commonly seen in schizophrenia.