Hippocampal Morphometry in Psychotic Disorders
Summary
The hippocampus is a central node in the pathophysiology of psychotic disorders, notably schizophrenia and related conditions. Advances in magnetic resonance imaging and image analysis have enabled the precise quantification of hippocampal volume and subfield morphometry, revealing consistent volume reductions across the illness course. Subfield-specific atrophy, particularly in CA1 and the dentate gyrus, emerges in early-stage patients and may precede overt psychosis, implicating these regions in the onset and progression of cognitive deficits. Progressive loss extends into the molecular and granule cell layers under antipsychotic treatment, suggesting dynamic morphological changes beyond global shrinkage. These alterations correlate with working memory impairments and symptom severity, supporting hippocampal measures as potential biomarkers for risk stratification, prognosis and therapeutic response. Global efforts employ standardised segmentation protocols, longitudinal designs and integration with biochemical indices to unravel mechanisms of hippocampal vulnerability. Practical applications include early intervention strategies aimed at preserving hippocampal integrity, the development of neuroprotective agents targeting glutamatergic dysfunction, and tailoring cognitive rehabilitation to hippocampal subfield profiles.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Hippocampal Morphometry in Psychotic Disorders publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in hippocampal morphometry in psychotic disorders across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Hippocampal morphometry: Quantitative assessment of hippocampal structure, including volume and shape analysis.
Hippocampal subfield: Anatomically distinct region within the hippocampus (e.g. CA1, dentate gyrus) with specific cellular architecture and function.
CA1: Cornu ammonis 1, a hippocampal subfield implicated in early atrophy in psychosis.
Dentate gyrus: A hippocampal subfield containing granule cells, critical for memory formation and adult neurogenesis.
First-episode psychosis: Initial manifestation of psychotic symptoms in individuals without prior antipsychotic treatment.
Antipsychotic-naïve: Patients who have not yet received antipsychotic medication.
Fimbria: White-matter bundle emerging from the hippocampus, comprising efferent fibres connecting to limbic structures.
References
- A longitudinal study of hippocampal subfield volumes and hippocampal glutamate levels in antipsychotic-naïve first episode psychosis patients. Molecular Psychiatry (2024).
- Smaller anterior hippocampal subfields in the early stage of psychosis. Translational Psychiatry (2024).
- Oxidative stress impairs cognitive function by affecting hippocampal fimbria volume in drug-naïve, first-episode schizophrenia. Frontiers in Neuroscience (2023).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.