AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Doctors also believe the brain loses tissue over time. And imaging tools, like PET scans and MRIs, show that people who have schizophrenia have less “gray matter”–the part of the brain that contains nerve cells–over time.

Detailed explanation-2: -Longitudinal structural MRI studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia have progressive brain tissue loss after onset. Recurrent relapses are believed to play a role in this loss, but the relationship between relapse and structural MRI measures has not been rigorously assessed.

Detailed explanation-3: -In patients with schizophrenia, MR imaging shows a smaller total brain volume and enlarged ventricles. Specific subcortical regions are affected, with reduced hippocampal and thalamic volumes, and an increase in the volume of the globus pallidus.

Detailed explanation-4: -Schizophrenia is associated with changes in the structure and functioning of a number of key brain systems, including prefrontal and medial temporal lobe regions involved in working memory and declarative memory, respectively.

Detailed explanation-5: -It is now generally accepted that schizophrenia is associated with structural brain abnormalities, with the most consistent findings being enlarged lateral ventricles and reduced medial temporal and prefrontal lobe volumes.