Cortical brain abnormalities are frequently observed in adults with psychotic disorders, but few studies have investigated adolescents with early-onset psychosis (EOP). A previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study from the NORMENT group in Norway, found widespread cortical thinning and smaller subcortical volumes in adult patients with psychotic disorders, particularly schizophrenia, compared to healthy controls.

Participants from the ongoing NORMENT adolescent EOP-study, 30 patients (age: 13.3–18.3 years, mean age: 16.5, 66% female) and 45 healthy adolescents (age: 13.6–18.8 years, mean age: 16.2, 58% female), underwent 3T MRI on the same scanner. Surface-based morphometric analyses were performed using FreeSurfer version 5.3.0. Group differences in vertex-wise cortical volume, thickness and surface area were investigated by fitting general linear models at each vertex on the surface. Age, sex and group were entered as covariates, and a non-parametric cluster-wise correction method for multiple comparisons was applied and cluster-forming and cluster-wise threshold set at 0.05.

Preliminary results show thinner cortex in the left medial frontal lobe and smaller surface area in the left temporoparietal junction in EOP patients compared to healthy controls after correction for multiple comparisons.

Surface-based analysis is sensitive to alterations in cortical morphology in an adolescent EOP sample. The regions exhibiting reduced cortical thickness and area in EOP overlap with findings in an adult psychosis sample. Large-scale studies are warranted to better identify the pattern of abnormalities and clarify effects of age, diagnosis and medication.