Abstract
Cortical thinning in youth at clinical high risk before conversion to psychosis
There have been many research studies of individuals with a clinical high risk of psychosis (CHR). CHR is usually identified in individuals between 12 and 30 years of age who have a trait vulnerability, attenuated psychotic symptoms, or brief limited intermittent psychotic symptoms, each of which is associated with a higher risk of transition to psychosis. Typically, 15% to 25% of those with CHR develop psychosis within two years of ascertainment. It was previously found that there was a reduction in cortical thickness in individuals with CRH who developed psychosis. Now, it has been found in individuals with CHR that cortical thinning precedes the development of psychosis. The study involved 62 healthy controls (HCs), 338 individuals who did not develop psychosis (CHR-NC), and 42 individuals who did develop psychosis (CHR-C) during an eight-month period where up to five magnetic resonance scans were obtained. Increased cortical thinning was seen in CHR-C in temporal, prefrontal, and parietal areas compared to CHR-NC and HCs, and CHR-NC also had cortical thinning compared to HCs. The CHR-C had a larger percent decrease across 2.9 months than the CHR-NC and HCs (Collins and others 2023). These findings that cortical thinning precedes conversion to psychosis indicate that a pathological neurodegenerative process is occurring as psychosis develops rather than being a result of psychosis. This will now allow a greater focus on possible causes, including neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and N-methyl-