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Both genetic factors and structural brain abnormalities have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This study examined brain volume in 16 families with two or more relatives with unilineally-transmitted schizophrenia to determine whether genetic factors predominate in these families.
Researchers used a highly reliable age- and height-corrected computerized volumetric analysis of MRI images to compare brain volume among 29 schizophrenic patients, 9 relatives presumed to be "obligate carriers" (i.e., nonpsychotic relatives with a parent or sibling with schizophrenia), 46 nonschizophrenic relatives presumed not to be carriers, and 39 unrelated normal controls matched for the schizophrenic patients' parents' socioeconomic stat…