Advancement in utilization of magnetic resonance imaging and biomarkers in the understanding of schizophrenia

Abstract

Historically, psychiatric diagnoses have been made based on patient’s reported symptoms applying the criteria from diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. The utilization of neuroimaging or biomarkers to make the diagnosis and manage psychiatric disorders remains a distant goal. There have been several studies that examine brain imaging in psychiatric disorders, but more work is needed to elucidate the complexities of the human brain. In this editorial, we examine two articles by Xu et al and Stoyanov et al, that show developments in the direction of using neuroimaging to examine the brains of people with schizophrenia and depression. Xu et al used magnetic resonance imaging to examine the brain structure of patients with schizophrenia, in addition to examining neurotransmitter levels as biomarkers. Stoyanov et al used functional magnetic resonance imaging to look at modulation of different neural circuits by diagnostic-specific scales in patients with schizophrenia and depression. These two studies provide crucial evidence in advancing our understanding of the brain in prevalent psychiatric disorders.

Keywords: Schizophrenia; Magnetic resonance imaging; Biomarkers; Neurotransmitters; Psychiatric disorders

Core Tip: Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric condition that has life-long implications for the individual as well as their family. The underlying psychopathology is still unclear and evolving. With advancements in the field of neuroimaging and neurotransmitters the understanding of the disorder is gradually improving, however, a lot of work is still needed in this area. In this editorial article we briefly discuss what we already know and how recently published articles help to advance our knowledge about schizophrenia.