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ew research finds that having a
larger choroid plexus, which is a vital brain structure, could be involved in
psychosis.
Research finds clues about psychosis in a brain structure that scientists have not yet fully studied.
Variations
in the structure of the choroid plexus, which produces cerebrospinal fluid
(CSF), could play a key role in psychosis.
A
team that Dr. Paulo Lizano — of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in
Boston, MA — led has now investigated this vital structure.
In
doing so, they found that there could be a link between its size and the
development of psychosis.
The
choroid plexus and its product, CSF, are crucial parts of the neurological
system. CSF helps cushion the brain within the skull, and the choroid plexus
forms a barrier between the brain and the CFS, which helps filter out toxins
and keeps blood components from entering the brain.
It
also allows some molecules to pass through, including those involved with the
immune system.
This
study — which now appears in the American Journal of Psychiatry —
involved three groups of people: participants with a diagnosis of psychosis,
one of their first degree relatives, and people with no history of psychosis
(the controls).
Each participant underwent a structural MRI brain
scan, and the researchers found that the volume of the choroid plexus was
larger in those who had psychosis.
They
also found that the volume of the choroid plexus among first degree relatives
was larger than that of the controls but smaller than that of those with
psychosis.
Additional findings
However,
these were not the only significant findings from the group with psychosis.
The
researchers also found that larger choroid plexus volume correlated with
reduced gray matter, smaller amygdala volume, lower cognitive scores, larger
ventricle volume, and lower levels of neural connectivity.
Although
they cannot yet say with certainty, the researchers believe that these findings
could also offer clues as to the pathology of psychosis.
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