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Discriminating schizophrenia and schizo-obsessive disorder: a structural MRI study combining VBM and machine learning methods

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Abstract

Schizo-obsessive disorder is characterized by the clinical syndrome in which comorbid obsessive–compulsive disorder accompanies schizophrenia. A substantial number of studies have investigated the neuropsychological and clinical differences between schizophrenia and schizo-obsessive disorder. However, the neurostructural differences between these two groups have not been adequately investigated. The aim of this study was to explore gray matter differences between schizophrenia and schizo-obsessive patients using voxel-based morphometry and support vector machines combined with feature selection algorithm. Twenty-three schizophrenia and 23 schizo-obsessive patients matched by age, gender and handedness were recruited. Clinical assessments were completed in addition to high-resolution structural MRI scanning. Group differences were investigated using contrast maps, and significant regions were subjected to a feature selection and support vector machine hybrid model. In addition, voxel-of-interest values for the commonly shared brain areas between schizophrenia and OCD reported in previous meta-analyses were also used as inputs in this step. The results showed that schizo-obsessive patients had greater gray matter densities in paracentral areas (including supplementary motor area) and middle cingulate gyrus than schizophrenia patients. These brain areas together with the fronto-subcortical areas could successfully discriminate two groups with an accuracy of 78.26 %. Our results provide the first neuroanatomical evidence that schizo-obsessive disorder and schizophrenia may be two distinct clinical entities. Based on these findings, considering schizo-obsessive disorder as a subtype of schizophrenia is discernible.

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Acknowledgments

Uskudar University Research Council and NPIstanbul Neuropsychiatry Hospital funded the sample collection and MRI scans (No. NPI-120814).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Uskudar University, Altunizade Mah. Haluk Turksoy Sk. No:14, Uskudar, 34662, Istanbul, Turkey

    Cumhur Tas, Hazal Mogulkoc, Gul Eryilmaz, Isıl Gogcegoz-Gul, Barış Metin & Nevzat K. Tarhan

  2. Division of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry and Psychiatric Preventative Medicine, Ruhr University, Bochum, NRW, Germany

    Cumhur Tas

  3. NPİstanbul Neuropsychiatry Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Gul Eryilmaz, Isıl Gogcegoz-Gul, Barış Metin & Nevzat K. Tarhan

  4. Department of Computer Engineering, Uskudar University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Turker Tekin Erguzel

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  1. Cumhur Tas
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Tas, C., Mogulkoc, H., Eryilmaz, G. et al. Discriminating schizophrenia and schizo-obsessive disorder: a structural MRI study combining VBM and machine learning methods. Neural Comput & Applic 29, 377–387 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00521-016-2451-0

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