Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Schizophrenia is a severe chronic mental disorder that affects about 1% of the world's population. The economic burden of this disorder has been estimated to be more than $6 billion in Canada. It is a devastating disorder for those affected causing unusual behavior thoughts, social deficits, and cognitive dysfunctions. Schizophrenia is associated with several pathological changes in the brain such as brain size shrinkage and reduction in the volume of brain cortex. Despite much effort by researchers the underlying pathophysiology is still unknown. A growing number of studies have shown the link between inflammation in the brain and risk of schizophrenia. Additionally recent clinical studies have shown benefits of anti-inflammatory medications like aspirin in reducing symptoms of psychotic patients. Despite all these evidence, so far, no study has investigated if inflammation in untreated schizophrenia patients contributes to brain volume loss commonly seen in this population. Positron emission tomography (PET) is the only procedure through which we can see and track the presence of neuroinflamamtion in living human brain. In this study, we will use a state-of-the-art high resolution PET scanner and a novel PET marker to track inflammation in the brain of untreated schizophrenia patients. Additionally we will use MRI to measure the volume of different brain regions and thickness of brain cortex. We want to study if people with higher inflammation in their brain have lower brain size and thinner brain cortex. There is increasing recognition that early identification and intervention is critical for better outcome in schizophrenia. The results of this study will help us understand the underlying causes of this disorder and will help in developing new medications for the treatment of this mental disorder.